Chronicles of the Leaf - Act 1
by Shinigami Miroku
Summary: It's time, once again, to retell the tale of the Gutsy Ninja. With new characters and new directions, while still following the same basic plot, what really changes? For one, a new team! Second, character development! NaruHina, ShinoKin, Yuugao x OC, etc. Act 1 ends at the Wave arc. Includes certain ideas, inc. Missing Hokage challenge... kinda. K /T
1. Chapter 1

"... and here are my findings, sir," a masked man said as he handed a folder to the old man sitting across from him. "If you don't mind my saying, sir, I'm surprised you haven't found someone else to take over for you. If I remember correctly, you were enjoying your retirement by gardening. Has no one else risen to fill yours and the Fourth's shoes?"

"No, not really," the old man replied, his weariness evident in his voice. "I only have a couple of potential candidates, and if the Uchiha revolt hadn't happened Itachi would likely be sitting here." He began to quickly read the contents of the folder, his mind committing everything on the page to memory. "It's a shame your team didn't catch him that time, or else there would've never been a massacre."

"Agreed, sir. Itachi was one of my oldest friends, and to see him volunteer to go rogue in order to find Madara and stop his plans was heart-breaking," the subordinate replied, still standing at attention. "He said that the group he's with right now is already under the thumb of Madara, but he's nowhere near strong enough to take him out, so he has no choice but to play along with their missions."

"We'll have to find a way to catch Madara or train up someone who can fight and kill him, but aside from Orochimaru" he paused as he pulled a sheet of paper out of the folder and looked at it fondly "we really don't have any jonin who can do it, and I'm too old to keep up with him."

The man sighed and adjusted his headband, saying "Well, we'll just have to find a fresh team to train. Any prospects this time, sir?"

"Sasuke is graduating this year, but his psychological record indicates that he is a loner and single-minded in his pursuit to avenge his family." The Hokage reached for another folder on his desk and handed it to the man. "He needs to be broken by someone as strong as Itachi and not beaten by the Sharingan, since I can't order Inoichi to reprogram any aspect of his mind; he needs to come to a conscious decision that he can't beat anyone alone. Many of the other children in his graduating class are from our more prestigious families."

The man's eyes flickered back and forth as he quickly read the list until he got to the end. "So he survived... I still can't believe he did that, and to his own son, at that. Has there been any indication that he knows?"

The old man shook his head. "No, he hasn't been informed, and with good reason. He would be shouting it to the ends of the earth, and no one would believe him anyway."

"No surprise; they've had it out for him forever, though it's more the other one they want to destroy. Simple-minded people..." The ninja's eyes flickered over to a stack of papers with a familiar name on them. "It's too bad he goes about getting attention the wrong way, but he has potential if he can evade properly-trained ninja even though he's only in the Academy."

"Exactly. Assuming they both pass, I'll likely put them both on the same squad, but finding a third might be tricky. If we take those two out of the picture, then the groups look muddier, since everyone averages out to be almost the same, aside from the students that will likely fail. Academically, Haruno Sakura is the top of her class, but in terms of overall skill and potential Hyuuga Hinata has the most out of all the girls; for the boys, Nara Shikamaru has his father's IQ and laziness, but Aburame Shino is probably the best balanced." The Hokage chuckled to himself, then continued. "I pity the teachers who get those four. Sakura is a fangirl, Hinata has confidence issues, Shikamaru is not motivated other than by the will of his parents, and Shino has some serious issues in his physical combat that need to be addressed."

"Easy enough, given the time and energy. With your permission, sir, I would like to scout the potential graduation candidates and come up with team combination suggestions. Given the Red Dawn's current level of strength, they won't be on the move for some time, and we need all the time in the world to get the genin ready to face the turbulent times ahead." The man gazed out the window to the rising moon, full in its setting and shining brilliantly on the town below, and added, "I also request permission to interview the jonin available for teaching them. If these kids have any chance, I want them to have the best chance, as I know you do, sir."

"You do remember that I usually handle the decision regarding team placement, right?" the Hokage replied, trying to study the reminiscent look in his underling's eyes.

"Of course, my lord. I merely wish to make recommendations in regards to it. It would provide good training for me, and you would also benefit from it, I hope." His eyes lowered to meet his superior's eyes as they flickered back to normal.

The Hokage pulled out his pipe, filled it, and began smoking as he thought about it. Several moments passed before his eyes, which had closed, opened again. "You wish to train a team - a team holding Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Is that correct?"

The man nodded. "The thought had crossed my mind, but I know you have greater need of me elsewhere."

"Indeed. Very well, then; make your observations and report back to me next week. The teams will be assembled then," the Hokage said. "Your observations have proven valuable in the past, and I am curious as to how you would go about training a team, but be warned: the council wants Hatake Kakashi to train Sasuke."

"Makes sense, since Kakashi has a Sharingan of his own, but remember the only other person of same rank to fight him to a standstill besides Maito Gai." The man smiled faintly at the memory. "I wonder how he's improved since then."

"Go see for yourself. You're dismissed... rest up and be ready for your assignment by 0600 hours."

The man bowed respectfully. "Yes, sir." He straightened and turned to leave, but paused and looked back, saying "It's good to be home, gramps."

Sarutobi chuckled and smiled back, saying "It's good to have you back, Saito." He watched as the man walked out of his office, then turned to look at the moon. "Let's see how you handle teaching..." He looked back at the folder given him and noted that something had been added to Saito's list of achievements. "'The All-Seeing Eye'... this sounds interesting."

…

"Day One: currently following Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. Using Shadow Clone to follow the avenger while following the troublemaker. Am in civilian clothing to blend into the crowd, though my headband is still with me. Young Naruto seems to dislike class... a lot. A preparatory quiz was administered, but while he tried his best to do the work, it became apparent that he could not and, in frustration, he left the classroom (note: he used the classic 'bathroom' excuse) and the school property. Worked off frustration by a series of pranks; citizens shouted obscenities and names including 'demon' and 'hellspawn'... (if only they knew). Full list of names included in addendum. Homeroom teacher found him, though he somehow managed to evade an off-duty jonin who had gotten roped into tracking him. They had a discussion, then left to return to school. (note to self: interview chunin teacher immediately). In interim, used second Shadow Clone to infiltrate school and view records regarding Naruto. Positives include unshakable will and inventiveness during combat. Negatives include academic work and chakra control. Also discovered bias in school system: several teachers have sabotaged Naruto's recent classwork in, among other examples (all listed in addendum), excluding him from chakra control exercises and misrepresenting correct answers as being incorrect in order to fail him. Postulation: test from earlier might have been on higher-level academia that no student of his age would know. Will explore later.

"Results from following Uchiha Sasuke: resides alone in one of the few buildings not destroyed during the Uchiha revolt; constantly training, and appears to know higher-level fire-style jutsu that he should not know until later. Has a picture of Itachi on his training dummy (note: this alone should be evidence enough to indicate mental instability). Despite high marks overall, seems to have trouble avoiding fangirl horde except when at home, and even then many of even the aspiring ninja girls seem to camp out in front of his complex (note: have this addressed immediately!). Also, cannot detect my presence, which means his Sharingan is not active yet; recommend keeping it as such until pride is broken. Treated as royalty among the citizens; not surprising since he's supposedly the 'sole survivor' (note: people are stupid for not asking why such was the case). Recommend history lessons for Sasuke, one that exposes the corruption in his family, up until the revolt, but make sure his loyalty to the village is unswerving beforehand. Show Itachi to be the loyal soldier that he is. Returning from digression. Sasuke could make Hokage if he loved like a Hokage should, but if he stays as he is he won't survive his first C-rank mission. It is lunchtime now; will interview chunin teacher and trail two high-ranking female ninja next.

"Subject: Umino Iruka. Rank: chunin. Assignment: Ninja Academy, room 1C. Specializes in ninja theory and discipline. Dedicated to bringing out the best in all the children he teaches (this alone would qualify him to become Hokage if he rose in rank). Spoke with him over lunch; pleasantries were short due to time constraints. Views Naruto as a precious student, likely due to similar past and compassionate heart. Unknown if he knows about the 'special condition', but likely since he'd need to evac the other students if it tried to escape. Makes compassion all the more surprising, and admirable. Unaware of sabotage; uninformed for now (until this report makes it to Hokage). Has little spare time between classes, assisting Hokage, and what little time to spare for Naruto; no social life as a result. Would make excellent jonin teacher except for overall average skills and low personal ambition. (On a personal note, he really needs some time off; hopefully once Naruto graduates he can take a sabbatical.)

"Time: Afternoon. Subjects: Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura. Shadow Clone tailed the fangirl while I trailed the heiress. Once again in civilian clothing, though should Byakugan be used it will be for nothing. Thanks to new ability, penetrating the protected walls of the Hyuuga complex was easy. Problem was understated: Hinata has almost NO self-confidence whatsoever. Father disapproves; cousin hates; rest of family apparently unconcerned. If not killed to protect bloodline, will likely be disowned if confidence is not corrected immediately. Must approach delicately; no interference unless Hinata passes and adequate evidence exists on her lack of safety, as clans are above certain laws (note: must get such laws repealed, as this allowed the Uchiha revolt). Potential surpasses entire family, but buried underneath emotional baggage. All-Seeing Eye reveals potential far above entire family, though bonds of family bind her creativity. Recommend tough but loving teacher, possibly female jonin? Note: need to check records on available jonin. Curiously displays a hidden affection for Naruto. Possible team combination? Needs tempering, but also encouragement. Opinion: Naruto could draw out Hinata's confidence, and Hinata could tame Naruto's hyperactivity.

"Shadow Clone returned. Haruno Sakura would make the perfect schoolteacher. Solid grades, though low combat performance. Excellent chakra control; possible candidate for medical program, or apprenticeship under Lady Tsunade if possible. Biggest issue revolves around fangirl tendency. Idolizes Uchiha Sasuke and assumes her academic performance to put her at the head of her rivals. Unaware of Sasuke's total dislike for all fangirls. MUST BE BROKEN BEFORE MISSIONS BEGIN. Despite problem, recommend for teaming with Sasuke under strictest authority to tear her down and rebuild her as an effective ninja; however, the best of care must be taken in this case, as fangirl tendencies are not broken easily. Possible interim one-on-one instruction under female jonin; recommend one with extreme dedication to village and strong personality to match hers. Seems to harbor a dislike (possible hatred?) for Naruto due to the animosity between Naruto and Sasuke, but doesn't seem to go deeper. Parents are civilians; arrived from Sand country a year after the Fox incident. Both unaware of Naruto's circumstances, but learned of attack from natives. Sakura has a good heart, it seems, but suffers from dual-personality disorder and is easily persuaded in matters that concern Sasuke."

…

Iruka inwardly fumed as the Hokage told him about the incidents at the Academy. "I've known those people for years! They couldn't be doing those things! Man, if this sets Naruto back another year... Lord Hokage, I'm not sure if he can endure another failure. He's been working so hard; in fact, he's been doing fewer pranks this year! I have to find a way to help him."

"Calm yourself, Iruka. All is not lost, though we are in the eleventh hour. I have already scheduled individual meetings with each teacher this evening; thankfully Kurenai will be available to help out. I think it's more than time for some to learn how to walk in someone's shoes, and to learn just how big they are." Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, hands folded and eyes closed. "I want you to personally administer and grade Naruto's upcoming tests and quizzes."

"Of course, sir!" Iruka responded.

"Also, it has come to my attention that a certain boy has been receiving far more attention from the female students than should occur normally." The Hokage glanced up at Iruka, who frowned and began rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "There's no coddling or showing off going on there, correct?"

"No, sir, at least, not from me," Iruka responded. "But they're all going through puberty, and the stories and such that are circulated among the citizens are easily picked up by young ears. To be honest, most of the females are going to fail this year, not from lack of talent but rather wasting their time pining after Sasuke. The combat tests are also equal, and Sasuke happens to excel at all of them."

"And the 'Rookie of the Year' award? If I remember correctly, it was instituted about the time Itachi went through the Academy. The dean of the school, granted, is no longer working, but I always felt it was a foolish attempt for the Uchiha to gain more glory," the Hokage said.

"It's too late to suspend it, but we can change the criteria," Iruka replied. "In terms of overall potential, Naruto and Sasuke are neck-and-neck, followed by Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata. In the latter case, though, I was unable to encourage her as much as I wanted. Honestly, I worry about her."

The old man nodded. "I agree, but little can be done until she becomes a genin. Just do the best you can. Dismissed."

As Iruka bowed and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, the Hokage mulled over the rest of the day's report. As he smoked his pipe, he found his curiosity piqued by several points made. "So, nothing definite, but it looks like a team of Naruto/Sasuke/Hinata is his first recommendation. Interesting..."

…

"Day Two Report: Interviews with the possible jonin teachers. First up was Hatake Kakashi, who was at the Memorial, as usual. Unlike the kids, he sensed me coming and was the first to speak, but it was the same pointless mutterings he had when I was last here. I guess nothing I said last time sank in, so I simply reminded him of it and left him alone, though not before challenging him to another duel. I recommend that he be passed over for a teaching assignment this year and that he attends counseling from Inoichi Yamanaka; his mourning has gone on long enough and will eventually kill him if he slips up.

"Subject: Yuuhi Kurenai. Rank: jonin. Current assignment: none. Specialization: genjutsu. Pleasant woman; capable at many types of missions. Motherly tendencies could possibly rule out teaching Hinata and Sakura, but might be good for Naruto and/or Sasuke; at the same time, possesses strong feminine identity that might build confidence for Hinata and individual identity for Sakura. Social butterfly, as far as jonin go. No current recommendation.

"Subject: Sarutobi Asuma. Rank: jonin. Current assignment: none. Specialization: wind jutsu, strategy. Likable, yet aloof from most other ninja. Prefers long-term missions, but desires to teach a team. Smart like a Nara, but with minor emotional baggage that inhibits growth. Recommend a team, as it might prove therapeutic in his case.

"Subject: Mitarashi Anko. Rank: jonin (special). Current assignment: Torture & Interrogation. Specialization: unknown. A real firecracker, but with good reason. Unable to trust others outside of the T&I department, Kurenai, and ANBU-jonin Yuugao. Fond of dango. Suffers from incomplete Curse Seal implanted by Orochimaru several years back. Training a team might prove effective at drawing her out of her shell; personality best suited to training any type of team, but would be great for Hinata or Sakura.

"Subject: Yamato. Rank: jonin. Current assignment: ANBU. Specialization: Wood-style jutsu. Unable to find out anything else, but might be good for training Naruto given specialization.

"Subject: Yuugao. Rank: jonin. Current assignment: ANBU. Specialization: swordsmanship. Proud and loyal; friends with Anko and Kurenai. Serves under Yamato. Possible teacher for Sakura and Hinata.

"Notes: tomorrow the rest of the potential graduates will be tailed, then my final recommendations will be compiled. End of report."

…

"Day Three Report: currently tailing the children of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Close living proximity ensures simultaneous observation. First notes focus on Yamanaka Ino. Suffers minor case of fangirl tendencies, but is otherwise capable of becoming a ninja. Needs focus on physical combat and specialization outside of family skills; swordsmanship a possibility. Personality carries much bravado which must be addressed immediately, but has a caring heart for her comrades. Gets along well with everyone outside of Sasuke's fan club, even Naruto. Note: bears no resemblance to either parent; must request DNA sampling. Unknown chakra affinity (note: get this added to last-year Academy testing).

"Next subject is Nara Shikamaru. Laziness seems to hide genius; may surpass father. Loves to watch clouds rather than train. Also lacks specialization outside family jutsu (Note: alarming trend!). Recommend tutoring by Maito Gai to drive laziness out and develop physical combat.

"Last subject is Akimichi Chouji. A tank just like his father. Pleasant personality that would get along with just about anyone; recommend pairing with Sasuke to draw him out of shell. Loyalty unquestionable; Hokage material? Weakness includes super-specialization and vulnerability to ninjutsu, probably genjutsu as well.

"Lunchtime notes: All three have a problem that must be addressed, as they have no doubt been raised to become a second 'Ino-Shika-Cho trio' that specializes in joint attacks. A smart opponent, however, will know how to break them up and take each one down; Ino seems to be the most vulnerable.

"Trailing Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. Same setup as with Uchiha and Uzumaki; trailing Shino with Shadow Clone and Kiba myself. Extra care required as both have tracking specialization. Kiba, the first subject, has similar qualities to Naruto, yet more as a result of upbringing rather than a lack of it. Has a partner, like the rest of his family. Seems to specialize in combination-taijutsu, but probably lacks in solo movements. Average chakra control; vulnerable to genjutsu. If earth-element, possible to teach techniques to complement his specialization.

"Last subject is Aburame Shino. Trail interrupted by kikai bug; indicates his knowledge of my presence. Information limited due to interruption. Shino appears to lack in physical skills but is good at long-range support with kikai bugs. Probably unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu due to nature of kikai bugs; recommend swordsmanship training.

"This concludes my observations on potential candidates. The rest simply do not measure up this year, but with modifications to the Academy more potential can be brought out. End of report."


	2. Chapter 2

"Saito," the Hokage began, "please explain what this new ability of yours, this 'All-Seeing Eye', is. Is it a bloodline limit?"

"I doubt it, sir. It was a taught skill, though it did require some minor surgery to increase the chakra flow to the eyes, similar to the Sharingan and Byakugan." Saito, who stood at attention in front of the Hokage's desk, activated it. The pupil changed from a circular shape to a triangle with what appeared to be a smaller eye in the middle. "It enables me to see into the soul of someone. It's somewhat similar to what the Yamanaka family can do, but rather than invading their mind and taking control, I can see thoughts, hidden emotions, and even their capacity for good and for evil. It's much easier to fight an opponent if you can convince them of their folly and send them off to change themselves for the better. It's why my kill count has dropped dramatically while my mission success has not." He then deactivated them and relaxed a bit. "It doesn't take as much chakra as it used to, but that was only after much time and practice. Honestly, sir, I'm glad it isn't a bloodline limit; with all due respect to the clans, I think they get away with too much."

"You're right about that, but if I were to go and revoke them, many of them might leave and we'd be in a weaker position to maintain peace." The Hokage's pipe emitted smoke as the ground leaves in it burned.

"Perhaps, but if they're not loyal to the village after the law is repealed, then perhaps their loyalty was in fact selfish in nature. Take the Hyuuga, for instance," Saito said. "The branch family is practically treated as slaves by the main family, and they're forced to wear a curse seal on their forehead. Supposedly it's to maintain the safety of the bloodline limit, but if that were the case why didn't everyone wear it, and why does it cause pain before death?"

"I've spoken to Hiashi about this several times, and even he cannot do anything about it as long as the Hyuuga elders have control. It is a pity..." Sarutobi said as he emptied his pipe into a trash can.

"Yes, it is... permission to speak freely, sir?" Saito asked.

The Hokage nodded, taking off his hat and settling into his chair. "Permission granted."

"Thank you, sir." He took off his headband and sat down as well. "I was at yesterday's council meeting, and I've noticed that you let your own elders say whatever is on their mind, and you often acquiesce to their 'advice', even if it goes against your conscience and feelings. This showed up most clearly when the issue of the 'Rookie of the Year' award was discussed. You allowed the motion to discontinue it to be brought down because those two cornered you with 'convincing' arguments. Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea to have those two as 'advisers', with their continued pandering to Sasuke and bias against Naruto. Which reminds me, why does he live in such a run-down apartment on what little he can buy? Yes, he gets enough money, but he's forced to eat ramen and food that is at or past its expiration date because of the price hike that seems to occur as soon as he gets to the register."

"I had no idea this was going on!" Sarutobi exclaimed.

Saito nodded, a sad expression crossing his face. "I know, and I know you've regretted telling the older population about Naruto's curse. Sorry, but even just showing you the All-Seeing Eyes enabled me to see into your own soul. The boy is like another grandson, but you can't do anything to help him because of your position as Hokage. Look, at least move him into better housing and find someone to teach him how to maintain an apartment; Asuma or Kurenai would be good choices there."

"I'll get on that. What would you suggest I do with my advisers?" Sarutobi asked.

Saito was blunt. "Get rid of them. Both of them are still far too stuck in the past to be of ANY help in this present age. Also, get rid of Danzo by any means necessary. I used my All-Seeing Eyes, and while your advisers are pretty dark, his darkness knows no depth. He wants to become Hokage and lead us into war with the other nations in order to bring about world domination, much like Madara."

"Danzo?" the Hokage responded, in shock that his name came up. "He's a war hero, highly respected among even the ninja corps. Besides, without solid evidence I can't indict him; this may be a military dictatorship, but even I have to abide by the rules."

"Check under his eyepatch, and if you can't, at least ask to see his 'healing' arm." Saito's eyes activated again. "I guarantee that there's more underneath those bandages than damaged skin. In fact, if I had more time to scan his soul, I could find out how he got them." He looked outside and gritted out through his teeth, "I'm going to be blunt. They're Sharingan eyes. One under his eyepatch, and as many as eight pairs on his arm. Why, I have no idea; I can't imagine any supposed advantage they would give him, but I bet that it's a really big advantage."

The Hokage, being a war veteran, wasn't sickened by much, but this threatened to. "Sharingan... he really is power-hungry... but why hasn't he made a run for office yet?"

"Probably because he wants to mask his hunger for a desire to lead the village under the guise of prosperity for everyone," Saito responded, still looking out the window. "I wonder if Danzo had anything to do with the Uchiha revolt as well..."

"The U- that fool!" The Hokage closed his eyes as he formulated a plan. "Danzo will not be easy to trap, but I think I have a foolproof idea. He'll need to be medically certified to lead the village, and interestingly enough the hospital is the best place to separate him from his guards. Jiraiya left chakra-inhibiting seals in certain parts of the hospital in case the Nine-tailed Fox ever began to leak out of Naruto. No jutsu can be used, not even bloodline limits; it would force even Itachi's Sharingan to turn off, ideally. I would be present to preside over the checkup, and would ask that fresh bandages be applied. Once they were exposed, I'd have probable cause to detain him, extract the Sharingan eyes, and hold him. ANBU will be there to watch, in case his guards try to intervene; at this point I don't doubt that ROOT is still active."

"Exactly." Saito started pacing. "I wasn't in there long enough, but if I can get another minute or three to lock my gaze with his, I can find out and see if there's a way to release their curse seals. From one side, this would be a bad time to do this, since the children come first. However, if we can link Danzo to the Uchiha revolt then Sasuke can take his revenge and not be concerned with killing his brother, who we can then recall, with his name now cleared. With that done, he can focus on becoming a powerful ninja with supreme loyalty to the village."

"That's a lot of presuppositions, Saito," the Hokage responded. "I believe we should move after team placements, and we'll have to move quickly. Send for Captain Yamato; this will have to be need-to-know basis only. Danzo has ears everywhere."

"Yes, sir." Putting his headband back on, he disappeared from the office.

A couple of minutes later, a masked individual appeared in his place and immediately bowed on one knee. "You summoned me, Lord Hokage?"

"Captain Yamato. How many ex-ROOT ANBU do we currently have in the village?" the Hokage asked.

"Fifteen, sir. Lord Danzo insisted that his men take on as many assignments as were available."

"And how many non-ROOT?"

"Seventy-three, sir. Several teams have returned over the past week, and S-rank missions have been low this season." Yamato lifted his head slightly, silently wondering why Sarutobi was making the distinction.

"That will be plenty. We're going after Danzo, and it's serious this time." The Hokage watched the young captain carefully, and although his face was masked, a slight shift in his body told him that Yamato was surprised.

"Lord Danzo?" Inwardly Yamato was elated, since it was because of Danzo's cruel experiments that he could use wood-element jutsu. "Has he possibly done something to warrant investigation and detaining?"

"You could say that. I have reason to believe that Danzo is planning a takeover of Konoha, utilizing the power of the Sharingan to bring this about, and afterward worldwide conquest. We must stop him at all costs," the Hokage responded. "Of course, I don't need to remind you that this conversation is need-to-know basis only, and so far you're the only one who does."

"Of course, my lord. When shall we move?" Yamato asked.

Sarutobi shook his head in response. "Select thirty or so of your best ANBU and station them around the hospital. After genin team placements I'll announce Danzo as the new incumbent Hokage and order that he get a physical checkup; as the Hokage needs to be battle-ready at all times, I imagine he'll acquiesce. I'll attend the checkup and order a fresh set of bandages. If he refuses, then I'll detain him for questionable activity. If he retaliates, I'll kill him; I have the advantage in terms of physical combat since he's been needing to hide using injuries, but I'll take Gai just in case. ANBU is to stand outside the room, the ward, and the hospital in case ROOT shows up."

Yamato bowed. "Understood, Lord Hokage."

"Also," Sarutobi said, "I might be pulling you out of ANBU to teach a genin team, so be prepared for that as well. Dismissed."

Yamato paused, but it was short lived as he responded, saying "Yes, sir." He then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Now, onto Naruto's case... it's a good thing my load is light today." Sarutobi began making arrangements for Naruto to move to a better neighborhood, and to have a long talk with the boy.

…

"So, has the pup finally matured into a wolf, I wonder?" Saito said as he stood across from Kakashi, whose normally bored look had disappeared.

"We're both past taunts and pleasantries, Saito. Are you going to begin?" Kakashi asked, pulling his headband up from over his left eye, revealing his implanted Sharingan.

"You've already begun," Saito responded as he pulled out a kunai and moved in to close-quarters combat. Kakashi did the same, and the fight began. At first it seemed that Saito had the advantage, but any experienced ninja could tell that they were fighting on equal ground. Saito knew from past experience that the Sharingan was able to copy ninjutsu and could penetrate genjutsu, so he fought with pure physical prowess. Kakashi saw each movement that Saito made and easily countered it, but knew he had to gain some distance to force Saito to use a ninjutsu. Unlike Saito, he was fighting against time, since the Sharingan produced a heavy strain on his chakra; because of this, he tried to gain distance, using his ninja weapons to force Saito to back off. Saito knew this game, though, so he dodged the weapons as he kept the pressure on Kakashi. Soon the battlefield was littered with kunai and shuriken, but neither one showed sign of backing down or tiring.

Saito smiled as said as they clashed with their weapons, "You've improved, Kakashi. If you could put let your ghosts rest in peace you'd have beaten me by now."

"You talk too much, Saito; that's probably why you couldn't beat me last time," Kakashi responded, once again whipping out shuriken and throwing them at Saito. "But I get the feeling you're holding back on something."

"That's because I already know you. My secret is for two men only, both destined for death," Saito responded as he used a substitution and began fighting Kakashi close up again. "Both want to rule the world, and one has the power to pull it off; my secret cannot be leaked out."

"Then there's no point in continuing this fight," Kakashi said as he backed away and pulled out his book. "You win this round." He saw the kunai coming and moved his book out of the way, and the kunai landed in the tree right behind him, only to explode as the tag attached detonated.

Saito brought his main kunai up and blocked a retaliating slash from Kakashi, who looked upset. "No, Kakashi. This battle isn't over until you wake up and smell the roses. Your teacher left something behind, and you've been too focused on a dead Uchiha to even care, let alone do something about it! Stop living in the past!" His anger rose, but he channeled it into his determination, moving even faster than before. "You're not bound by your past. Why do you think that you and Anko are so highly valued by the Hokage? You're not your father, and you never will be, because you are you!"

Kakashi's anger rose, causing the Sharingan to spin more wildly. "Why shouldn't I mourn for the one friend I've ever had!?"

"Because your other friends will eventually give you up for a lost cause." Saito said, continually blocking slashes from Kakashi. "They care about you, not just because you're a strong ninja and a valuable ally, but because they want to! They see your self-destructive path, but they can't do anything to help because the only people who truly understood you are dead, and not because of you or your actions, but rather because they chose to die for the people they loved." Seeing an opening, Saito flipped Kakashi over his back and held him on the ground, kunai against his neck. "And this is the second reason why. You'd have never left yourself open at all if you hadn't followed this path."

Kakashi could do nothing but stare, the Sharingan continuing to drain his chakra and weakening him. "Alright, I give... I'll go see Inoichi."

Saito frowned and pushed the kunai harder against his neck, nearly cutting through the fabric. "Do more than that, Kakashi; determine that you'll stop grieving and start caring for the people who care for you." He then released Kakashi and helped him up as Kakashi slipped his headband back over his Sharingan eye. "You might do well to find some hope in an afterlife. Your teacher is likely watching and hoping you get it."

Kakashi looked up into the sky as he tried to imagine a resting place for good people. "... That would be nice, wouldn't it?" He turned and walked away.

Saito called after him, saying "I know you want to train Sasuke, but for his sake and yours don't do that right now. If you want I can make him fail and wait until next year. It'll be easy, since there's a new aspect of the final exam."

"Saito... we'll see, but if the council hears of this there will be no end to our troubles," Kakashi warned as he continued to walk away.

…

"RAAAAA!" Sasuke shouted as he awoke. He quickly ran out and began beating up his training dummy, acutely aware of the fact that, no matter how loud he was, he wouldn't wake anyone up because of how far away from most of the residential areas of the village his clan's grounds were. He didn't care, of course, because he needed to pummel the traitorous Itachi for massacring his family. The nightmare had come again, just as it always had. He could see it in his eyes even as he continued going through his family's fighting style...

_"Itachi, what are you doing?!" Sasuke shouted as he watched his father drop to the floor, blood dropping from a sword wound in his chest and back._

_ On the other side was a raven-haired man with red swirling eyes that glared back at Sasuke. "Sasuke... I am testing my skills." Three seconds later, Sasuke dropped to the floor, breathing heavily and sweating profusely as Itachi continued. "You are too weak as you are. Never forget tonight, and use it to fuel your rage. Hate me; hate me until you cannot stand it anymore, but do not seek me out until your eyes match mine." With that, he kicked Sasuke in the face and, as Sasuke lost consciousness, disappeared in a flock of ravens._

"Yes, brother... I'll hate you until the end of time, if that's how long it takes to find you and kill you..." Sasuke muttered as he continued to beat up the training dummy, only to be caught by surprise as the dummy blocked his kick and punched him, sending him sprawling. Sasuke looked up as he landed and saw Itachi, in the flesh, staring back at him. "ITACHI! How dare you show up here again as if nothing happened! Prepare to die!" Sasuke ran in a blind rage at the man, who simply moved to the side and tripped Sasuke, then grabbed his hands and held him in a disabling position on the ground.

"Brother... you're so lost in your rage that you cannot see the truth anymore," the man said, still holding Sasuke's arms. "I have one question for you, but you must think back beyond then. Have I ever before showed any sign of homicidal tendencies, especially toward my family?"

Sasuke began to respond, but his head was slammed into the ground, causing him to stop. Itachi's words rung in his head, but not the ones of during the massacre but rather the ones he'd just heard. 'Itachi was such a nice brother... he always helped me train and figure out my homework... he was always smiling when at home, unlike Dad...' Pushing his head up just enough for him to talk, he said "No, but-"

"And does my voice sound like the voice you heard that last night?" the man asked.

"... No. Yours sounds more like how I remember it from before..." Sasuke responded, frowning to himself. "But if it wasn't you, then who was it? We're the strongest family in the Leaf."

The man sighed and said, "Perhaps, but not in the world. Plus, I'm not the only one to have attained these eyes. Ask the Hokage about a man named 'Madara' and when he was last sighted. Brother, I ask that you understand why I cannot come back yet; to forgive me or not, that is up to you alone, but be sure that the only way you'll live a good life is if you do so."

Suddenly Sasuke felt the weight lift off of him and when he looked up, he no longer saw anyone in his yard. The training dummy was back in its original place, but the picture had fallen off and was laying on the ground in front of him. He picked it up and felt a sliver of hope return in his heart. His sleep the rest of the night was peaceful.


	3. Chapter 3

Several days passed and the Academy exam had finally arrived. A blur of blond hair streaked down the street as Naruto raced to make it to the Academy on time. He'd slept in, so he thought, because his clock's alarm was broken and because he had trained extensively the past day, so his toast was hanging out of his mouth and his orange jacket was flapping in the wind as it hung halfway off of him. Unfortunately for him, he just happened to turn a corner and run right into someone, sending them both sprawling onto the dirt road. His nice-guy tendencies kicking in, he quickly got up and helped up the person, saying "Sorry for running you over! I'm running late!" Before he could do anything else, though, the person grew red in the face and fainted, making Naruto pause in confusion. "That's weird..." When he got a good look at the person, he recognized her as a person in his class, so he simply picked her up and carried her on his back all the way to the school building.

The door to the classroom slid open quickly and two heads poked through, one asleep and one shouting "Sorry I'm late, Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka looked over in surprise, then looked up at the clock. "You're an hour early, actually, Naruto. Not even Sakura or Sasuke get here this early..." He then looked down and, seeing the second head drooping over one shoulder, said "Question: why are you carrying Hinata on your back?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder and blinked twice, then his eyes widened. "Oh, that's right! This is Hinata! I knew I recognized her from class!" He carried Hinata up to her desk and laid her down on it, resting her head on her books, then walked back down to Iruka. "Anyway, I kinda ran into her on the way here."

"But isn't the Hyuuga complex on the other side of the village from your apartment?" Iruka asked.

Naruto simply shrugged. "I don't know. Weird..." Shrugging to himself, he turned back to Iruka. "I'm ready to take the test, but it's early. What should I do?"

Iruka smiled and said, "Why not start on chakra control? I know the Clone jutsu is your hardest one to do, but you'll get better if you practice."

"There's exercises for controlling my chakra?" Naruto asked, clearly surprised.

"... Yes, there are. I'll teach you a basic one." Iruka pulled out a textbook and opened it to a page describing chakra flow and concentration. "You already know about chakra and how it's made, right?"

"Er, yeah, it's something about two energies that the body produces and is merged into one to make chakra, right?" Naruto asked, squinting as he thought about it.

"More or less. One is your physical energy, and the other is your spirit energy. By mixing the two, you get chakra, but how much you get depends on how much balance there is. By training yourself to use just the right amount of physical energy and just the right amount of spirit energy, you can use a jutsu without using a lot of chakra." Iruka looked at Naruto and hoped he understood what he was saying as he continued. "The more you have, ironically, the more difficult it is to control, which is likely the trouble you have, so we have to start out with the basics." Iruka began drilling Naruto through basic chakra control exercises. "Now, Naruto, your body will know when you use the right amounts, so just stay still and begin the first exercise. Make sure your mind is quiet and focused on nothing else except the gathering of your energies."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes as he began, but soon frowned. "Sensei, it's weird... I almost have a grasp on it, but then it slips away."

"That's normal for just beginning. Remember that you're doing a first-year exercise, so don't expect it to come easily without practice. Just keep focusing, and don't talk so you don't lose focus. Be confident that you can do it."

"Alright, sensei." He gritted his teeth as he began to focus, and within minutes smiled, opening his eyes and softly saying, "I got it, sensei- oops!" He began concentrating again. "Almost lost it..."

"Good, now combine them and, when you're ready, make a clone," Iruka said encouragingly.

Naruto nodded and did the hand signs. "Clone jutsu!" Ten clones shimmered around him, though four looked ghostly and sick. He opened his eyes and looked at them, frowning at the bad ones. "Aww, there's still bad ones!"

"You still passed, Naruto. Do that during the test and you'll be all set!" Iruka said, hugging Naruto, who at first yipped in surprise but then began laughing along with Iruka. As they stopped, they could hear a soft clap. They looked up at Hinata, who had seen most of what happened and, having been caught, let a soft 'meep' sound out and hid in her coat.

"... Iruka-sensei, what's wrong with Hinata?" Naruto asked, looking back at Iruka.

Iruka, for his part, simply chuckled and let Naruto go. "I'll tell you after the test. For now, don't worry about it and finish studying for the test." He motioned to where Naruto had left his books. "Only what is in your textbook will show up on the test, so don't worry about seeing anything that I haven't covered myself."

"Alright, Iruka-sensei. I'm gonna pass this test, believe it!" Naruto said, filled with confidence as he returned to his seat.

A couple of minutes afterward the classroom began to fill up as the young-teen children entered. Sasuke was first and was completely thrown off when he saw Naruto studying, and this combined with his thoughts regarding the recent visit to the Hokage's office made him trip over himself and fall onto the floor. "Oww... this is such a weird week..."

"For you too, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto said, snickering at the fallen Uchiha. "I thought it was odd that they got rid of the class-ranking system, and now seeing you fall over yourself? I should have started showing up early more often."

"Shut up, dobe. For your information, I- wait!" Sasuke got up and ran over to Naruto's desk. "What do you mean that the class-ranking system is gone?!"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "That's what I said... apparently yesterday there was an order from the ol- er, the Hokage's office about new school policy. There's no more 'first place' and 'last place'; it's now pass-or-fail, or something like that. Iruka-sensei said it was about having higher standards. I guess the two teams that passed last year wasn't enough for them." Shrugging, he went back into his book.

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, really. By the way, why are you here so early, and why are you reading a book?" he asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I guess I'm not the only idiot around here. Obviously, I want to pass; I'm not going to be stuck here another year..." He paused as he looked over at Iruka, saying "No offense, sensei, but I want to become a ninja!"

Iruka smiled and nodded as he continued to arrange the test papers and get the other things ready. "None taken, Naruto."

"Naruto, why are you so confident? You've been dead-last since you entered the Academy. Obviously you entered too early, but even with the extra years of study your grades have never been high enough to pass," Sasuke asked, genuinely confused but only partly at Naruto; the other part was at himself. 'I've never shown this much interest in Naruto. What in the heck am I thinking?'

"I actually have a chance to pass this year." Naruto looked up in puzzlement. "Are you okay, Sasuke? Usually you ignore me with that arrogant glare of yours stuck on your face."

"I have plenty of reason..." Sasuke muttered as he took a seat on the other side of the room, leaving a confused Naruto. Hinata, who was still watching, was also completely confused by what just happened, but didn't want to say anything as the other students filed in.

…

"Are you sure this plan of yours will work, Saito? Remember that we're responsible for ordering their execution; if Sasuke finds out, he might go completely rogue," the Hokage asked.

"But Itachi arrived too late to do anything. I guess Madara was listening in somehow and beat him to the punch. He went beyond what you ordered, and this is why Itachi had to go rogue," Saito said. "Besides, genjutsu was always my specialty, and these kids have too little experience to detect a genjutsu."

"What of Naruto? Do you think he can pass that test?" the Hokage asked.

"If he doesn't, then he isn't his father's son." Saito looked outside, smiling as he did. "He has to understand his father's position if he's going to inherit the legacy of the 'Yellow Flash'."

"If you say so... you couldn't read him because of interference from the Fox's chakra, so it'll have to work," the Hokage responded as he turned his chair to look outside. "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late for class."

"That's fine, sir; I have something special planned," Saito said as he disappeared from the office.

…

"Alright, pencils down!" Iruka said over the 'skrit-skrit' sound of the pencils dragging across the papers. Everyone immediately looked up as they dropped their pencils, to Iruka's satisfaction. "We'll have a five-minute break, then the test will resume." He stood up and exited the room after collecting the papers.

Ino and Sakura frowned, looking at each other in confusion. "I wonder why he called for a short recess?" Ino asked.

Sakura shrugged, saying "I have no idea. Today has been just one weird event after another. First Naruto is here before we are, then Iruka-sensei tells us that news about the class rankings, and now the test itself. All of the questions on there were things that sensei himself went over."

"Yeah. I heard that a lot of teachers were getting the boot. Some sort of scandal, but no one knows what," Ino said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Scandal? Do you think they were..." Sakura began, but Ino covered her mouth.

"Shh! We'll talk about it more in the bathroom," Ino hissed as she dragged Sakura off.

Kiba watched them leave and blinked, then looked over at Shikamaru. "Girls are so weird, aren't they?" All he got in response was a light snore. "Yup, out like a light bulb... again. I swear, you're weirder than most girls." Akamaru, who was sitting on top of his head, barked his agreement.

"I dunno, Kiba..." Chouji said between bites of chips. "Iruka-sensei did say that if there was one mistake on today's exam, we'd have to take the year all over again, so he had no choice but to go all out. I could tell; he was actually concentrating on the questions, even though he was still the first to finish. Man, I hope I passed..."

"You and me both, dude," Kiba responded, frowning a bit. "I know I had some problems, though probably not as much as Naruto." They both looked over at the frazzled blond, who was also resting his head on his desk. "Guy looks half-dead."

"It isn't smart to underestimate Naruto," a soft voice rang out behind them. No one could ever tell who Shino was looking at because of his sunglasses, but in this case there was no point. "I've seen him pull out of some really tough scrapes, including a few with you, Kiba. I fully expect him to pass." His head shifted to face the teacher's desk again, which they knew meant he was finished on the subject.

Kiba blinked a couple of times, then shook his head and said, "Whatever. I'll still be the top dog. I'll beat everyone in class and show that I have what it takes."

"Troublesome mutt..." Shikamaru muttered, still sleeping at his desk. "Can you be any louder?"

Kiba was up immediately and stood in front of Shikamaru's desk. "You want to tangle right now? I'm game!"

It was then that, as Shikamaru lifted his head to respond to Kiba, the student sitting behind where Kiba was standing stood up, not having paid any attention to Kiba's outburst, and accidentally knocked Kiba forward. Unfortunately for Shikamaru, he was too slow to stop Kiba, and as Sakura and Ino were returning from the bathroom, Kiba's head collided with Shikamaru's in the worst way.

Everyone was completely silent as it seemed to take forever for the moment to end, but in truth it only took a second for Kiba's head to reboot, and he immediately backed away, wiping his mouth profusely. "Eww! Dammit, Shikamaru!"

Surprisingly, Shikamaru was reacting the same way. "Why are you yelling at me?! You were the one shouting like the loud mutt you are, and I wasn't the one standing where I could get knocked over because I'm unaware of my surroundings!"

"That's it!" Kiba reached for Shikamaru, but was quickly silenced as Iruka, who had just stepped in, used his Big-headed Teacher jutsu© to shout "QUIET!", which got everyone to quiet down again and back in their seats.

"Alright, I don't know what just happened, but Kiba and Shikamaru have just earned detention after tests are ended." Iruka walked over to his desk and slammed a folder of papers on it. "You know that fighting is not allowed in the classroom, and let this be another lesson that I take it seriously." Sighing, he resumed his normal tone. "Alright, the second portion will be proctored by a special guest." The students began whispering, as this had never happened before, but Iruka waited for them to settle down before continuing. "He's one of our elite field agents, and also one of the most experienced. Please welcome Saito Hajime."

As Saito walked in, the class rose in respect to the proctor. He watched as one of the students, Sakura, said "Bow!" and the rest responded, saying "Good day, Saito-sensei!" as they bowed. Smiling to himself, he nodded to her and crossed over to stand next to Iruka's desk as she said "Sit!" and began to speak. "Good day, students. I am Saito Hajime, jonin-elite of the Leaf Village, and I will be proctoring your next exam. Please line up in front of the door according to family name." As they did so, his eyes scanned each of them, memorizing what they looked like before his test. "Alright, we'll be adjourning to another classroom, but each will be going in one at a time." He saw Hinata's fearful yet curious look and inwardly frowned as he opened the door. "If everyone is ready, follow me." He began down the hallway, leading the troop of children and smirking to himself. They walked to the other end of the hallway and stopped in front of one of the unused rooms. "First up: Aburame Shino." The kid nodded to him and entered the door. As they waited, he looked out and saw a hand raised. "Yes, Miss Yamanaka Ino?"

"What sort of test is this?" Ino asked. "If it's a combat test, then should we have been allowed to get our kunai pouches?"

"Lesson one: always be prepared for combat, even in your own hometown. I could tell you how many enemy ninja currently spying on us right now, but then I'd have to have your father erase that memory, which is preferable to killing you," Saito responded. "Talent is so precious; it's not good to waste it. Take, for instance, emotions: they're fine for outside of your job as a ninja, but until you gain the mental fortitude to control them, they only get in your way. It's best to shelve them while you're here or, once you graduate, when you're with your team. Things like anger, love- or, in the case of you teens, lustful attraction,- and grief are especially dangerous." He shook his head in disappointment. "I've seen too many talented up-and-coming ninja cut down because they got to angry or distracted because a teammate got killed or because their thoughts were consumed with dreams of the future with a certain someone in their life. Many of them were genin on their first C-ranked missions." He smiled inwardly with satisfaction as his words seemed to hit home with several of the kids. "So take my advice: control your mind, don't let it control you. That's one of the good parts about being on a team; they can help you keep your focus. As far as the test goes..." he smiled sadistically and said "that's something I really would have to kill you for, and if you look for me in the bingo book, you can imagine that I know a few ways to do that."

At that moment, Shino stepped out, looking more pale than usual. "I... have finished the test, sensei."

"Excellent. You may return to the classroom." As Shino nodded and left, Saito called off the next name. And so it went, each person coming out (or, in a couple of cases, carried out) and returning to Iruka's classroom. Soon it was Sasuke's turn, then Naruto's, and Saito smiled. "We're almost finished. I certainly hope the others are fully recovered by now."

Sasuke had completely lost his nerve at this point; he had begun losing it when he saw the one person as collected as he usually was come out looking like he'd seen a giant flyswatter coming down on him. 'Actually, that's kind of funny... maybe I should get Naruto to pull that kind of prank on him,' he thought as he stepped through the door. He looked around at the empty classroom and frowned. "Okay, what's going on?" Suddenly the room became dark and a giant pyramid stood before him. He saw, at the top, the crown of the pyramid floating inches above it and staring at him with its piercing gaze. His eyes locked with it and he began to sweat as it seemed to burn him with its gaze. Before he could say anything, though, it disappeared and was replaced with an image of an old man. He gasped in shock as he looked into the man's eyes, seeing the very eyes that had haunted his dreams for years.

Two Sharingan eyes bored into his head as the man began to speak. "Ah, Sasuke, my favorite son... or, rather, descendant. How has your hatred grown since then?"

"YOU!" Sasuke shouted as he leaped forward, but blinked in surprise as he flew right through the man.

"Foolish boy, you cannot touch me. I am immortal; no attack can even touch me," the man taunted as Sasuke pulled himself up from the ground.

"I don't get it. You're an Uchiha, yet you murdered my family," Sasuke said, pulling out a kunai from his belt. "Why?"

"They were too weak and didn't deserve to share in my future. Soon everyone will bow before me, under the control of my Eternal Sharingan!" The man began cackling crazily. "Hashirama will see my might from his resting place and shudder in fear, knowing that even his infamous wood-style jutsu wasn't enough to stop me!" Suddenly the field transformed and became the same field where he had before trapped Sasuke and tortured him. "As for you, it seems you need to be reminded of how powerful your rage is."

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but then paused. 'Wait... he said to shelve my emotions. Okay... it looks like this guy is too strong for me, and I have no one here to help me... but there's nowhere to run. Wait!' Focusing his chakra and making the ram seal, he shouted "Release!" Immediately the man disappeared and the field turned back into a classroom. He breathed a sigh of relief, though as he stepped out he could not deny that he probably looked as shook up as Shino had been. "I'm done, sensei..."

"Glad to have you back with us," Saito said. "Uzumaki, you're up."

…

Naruto watched Sasuke walk off and shuddered. Both Shino and Sasuke had been seemingly defeated by whatever was in there, but the fact that he still had to take it steeled his determination. "Alright, let's go! I'll beat this test, or my name is not Naruto Uzumaki!"

As the door slid shut, he frowned as he thought he heard someone whisper "But you're not... at least, that's not all." and he walked in, pulling a kunai out as he looked around. Suddenly, the room got dark and the All-Seeing Eye appeared, gazing down at Naruto. Soon the pyramid disappeared and he found himself on the outskirts of the Leaf Village. It was nighttime, but the village was alight in flames and people screamed as they ran. In front of him, an army of ninja lashed out with weapons and jutsu against a gigantic animal that Naruto immediately recognized as the feared Nine-tailed Demon Fox. Frowning, he shouted "Die, fox!" and launched himself at it, but found himself hurled back as the Fox roared. This sent many other ninja flying away, but Naruto blinked as the air around him turned yellow for a moment and found himself in the arms of the man he idolized.

"Are you alright?" the man asked as he set Naruto down on top of something that felt cold and slimy. Naruto looked down and saw himself sitting on top of a huge toad. He blinked and looked back at the man, who was looking at something that had replaced him in the flame-cloaked arms. The Fourth Hokage, he knew, was the only one to wear a coat like that, and that he had died. "Don't worry; soon the Fox will be gone and the village will be safe." He only got cries in return as he looked up at the Fox. "Monster, soon you shall be trapped for all eternity and I will rejoin my wife in heaven." Giving the baby in his arms to an attendant ninja, he called down to the toad. "Are you ready, old friend?"

"I am ready. It's been a pleasure. I'll do what I can to stave off the Fox until you're finished." The toad pulled out a sword and took a swipe at the Fox, who leaped out of the way and roared at it.

Naruto frowned and looked up at the Fourth. "What are you doing?"

"There's no way to defeat a demon by ordinary measures. I have to seal it," he replied.

"You can do that? How?" Naruto asked, ignoring the fact that history said that he had destroyed the Demon Fox. "And who was that in your arms? Was it a baby- WAIT!" He gasped as he realized what the Fourth meant. "Is he your son? How can you do that to him? Do you know how messed up his life is going to be? When the citizens get wind of this, they'll try to kill him in order to kill the Fox!"

"I trust the villagers to not react that way, even if the Third tells them. Hopefully my son will grow up to be a fine ninja; with my wife's name protecting him, he'll be safe from the Rock ninja," the Fourth responded as he was nearing the end of the seals he had to do. "I love this village, and I can't ask any other family to do something I'm not willing to do myself."

Naruto frowned, but thought it over. 'Yeah, he's right about that... he has no choice: it's either the entire village dies, or his son becomes a Jinchuuriki.' He stood up and readied his kunai. "I'll stand beside you in this, believe it! No one touches our village and gets away with it!"

The Fourth smiled and nodded. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I just need another minute; help Bunta distract the Fox."

Naruto nodded and leaped off of the giant toad, flinging every kunai he had at the Fox. "Die, stupid Fox!"

The Fox looked up and smiled. "Only if you die first, runt." It opened his mouth to swallow the falling Naruto, who cocked his fist back in order to punch it in its nose.

Suddenly the scene shifted and Naruto found himself on the ground, holding the Fourth's son. The Third Hokage and several other ninja stood alongside him. "So I guess the sealing was successful..."

"Yes... the Fourth gave his life to save us," the Third Hokage responded.

"What about the child?" one of the other ninjas asked.

"He'll have to be taken care of at the hospital for now. Once things have settled down here, I'll make the announcements." The Third turned around and left, as did the other ninja.

Naruto frowned, but looked down at the baby. It giggled at him as he said, "You know, you're going to have a rough life. Maybe not as rough as others, but you need to be strong." As the baby looked at him, he noticed how clear his blue eyes were. "Wow, just like your dad... you know, I think I've seen you before..." As he said this, the scene changed again. Naruto now found himself in a dank sewer, half-flooded with dirty water pouring from pipes above him and flowing somewhere he didn't want to know.

Suddenly a low, dark cackle sounded down the tunnels, making Naruto nearly jump out of his skin. A voice called out, "So, you've finally come... think you can find me?"

Not saying anything, Naruto began to follow the voice to its source. It didn't take long for him to get to the end of one of the tunnels. In front of him stood an enormous gate, with a paper seal on the locks, which kept them locked and unable to be opened. "Who's in there?" Naruto asked, almost afraid to get the answer.

"Silly boy, put two and two together." Two glowing red eyes appeared on the other side.

"... OH MY GOD!" Naruto screamed, scrambling backward. "The Fox!"

"You are correct, and were it not for these bars I would have flattened you for speaking so loud and irreverently in my presence," the Fox replied.

Naruto stopped and blinked. "Wait, this is weird. Why am I inside the seal? Weren't you the only one supposed to be sealed in here?"

"You fool, I *AM* the only one sealed. It's difficult to be sealed inside yourself. Now leave; your speech tires me." With a blast of chakra, Naruto got sent spiraling backward and hit the wall of the classroom where he once again found himself. He picked himself up and mumbled to himself as he left that classroom to rejoin everyone else. "No wonder everyone was scared; that Fox is intense..."

Saito watched as Naruto left and nodded. "Everything is in place... now to see how it all unfolds."

…

"Man, Naruto, you look like you've seen a ghost," Kiba said as Naruto sat down next to him.

"What did you see?" Naruto asked.

"Aw, man, it was horrible. My family was completely wiped out. After the kennels were destroyed, a bunch of men killed off my male relatives and raped my mom and sister, then killed them too. I couldn't do anything about it, either. Pissed me off, but as soon as I realized that they were too strong for me, I had to run. Of course, it wasn't until they caught me that I remembered where I was, so I released the genjutsu. That's going to haunt my dreams for a long time," Kiba said, not noticing his nails digging into the wooden platform that served as their desk.

"That's horrible. I'm sorry you had to see that, Kiba," Naruto responded, putting his hand on Kiba's shoulder.

"Thanks, man... I learned something important, though. I have to get strong, not to become the top dog, but to protect those dear to me. You can count on it; I will become the best so that those sorts of things never happen to anyone," Kiba responded with determination in his voice.

"You're right, Kiba. I learned that lesson, too... except I was in the battle against the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. The Fourth was so determined to stop the Fox that he sealed it inside his own son," Naruto said. "I tell you, Kiba, it's as if I was there in person. The Fox, the Fourth, everyone looked and felt so real I was convinced that I had jumped back in time. It's weird, though; our books said that the Fourth killed the Fox, and didn't say anything about him having any children."

"Yeah, that is weird," Kiba responded. "Hey, Shikamaru, what did you see?"

"... Too troublesome to explain," Shikamaru said, his forehead practically buried into his desk, though his mind was still active and processing everything he heard.

Meanwhile, Ino and Sakura were going over their own tests. Ino had started, saying "That was one crazy test! The village was burning, and standing above it, on the Hokage Mountain, was Sasuke. He was cackling like he'd gone insane, and he was dressed kinda like the old men on the Council."

"What? That was mine as well!" Sakura exclaimed. "He walked over to me and said 'Do you like this picture I've painted for you?' I said I didn't and that I didn't understand why he'd destroyed the village. He said it was because there wasn't enough power in the village for him to kill his brother, and because I was too weak to stop him. I decided right then and there to fight him, but he knocked my kunai out of my hand and stabbed me with his sword. He said, 'You spent all that time chasing me instead of focusing on getting stronger, so you'll die along with those weaklings.'"

"I did the same thing..." Ino muttered as she played with her hair. "Were we wrong all this time? I mean, in terms of physical combat we're among the weakest of the class; it's only because our classroom grades are so good that we've gotten so far."

"Yeah... I want to get stronger. Not for Sasuke, but to protect my family," Sakura said. "Let's get stronger. We can't let the men do everything for us!"

Ino nodded and grabbed Sakura's hand. "It's a promise. We'll focus on our training and get stronger, so that we can protect each other and everyone we care about! Best friends again?"

"You bet! Shannaro!" Sakura shouted happily.

Meanwhile, Sasuke sat in the corner, musing about his experience. 'Was I wrong this whole time? I don't even know what to think anymore...' He sighed as he looked out the window, though he was still musing rather than focused on anything he saw out there.

Saito nodded to himself, then walked back in. "Well done, everyone. We'll break for lunch, then we'll begin the final portions of the test. Yes, you'll need to eat to get through them, especially considering the last test. Iruka, they're all yours again; I'll be back later with the results." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves as the kids broke up to go eat.

…

Saito sat down at a nearly empty table, surprising the lone occupant. He looked up and smiled, saying "Oh, my apologies. I should have asked if it was alright for me to sit here."

"N-no, it's quite alright..." Hinata said in her usual soft tone. "I-if I'm b-b-bothering you, I'll leave..."

"It's quite alright. A gentle soul like yours is very refreshing, especially in one in your age group," Saito responded, causing Hinata to blush. "Like a spring breeze blowing over a field of lavender flowers. Anyway, I did want to speak with you about something. You have amazing potential, but you hide it so well. Why?"

"M-me? I d-d-don't have any talent..." Hinata mumbled, poking her fingers together. "I'm j-just a weakling... it's a m-miracle I've p-passed any of the tests..."

Saito shook his head and said "Actually, if I had to guess, I'd say you're passing quite well. Tell me, did you learn anything from your second test?"

Hinata thought about it for a little bit, but looked afraid to answer, as if she would be belittled if she said something wrong. Saito smiled encouragingly and nodded for her to begin. Slowly, she said "Well... a bad man had killed off my family and was coming toward me. He was saying 'Why don't you defend yourself? At least your little sister did that! Come on! Be a lion!' I kept shaking my head out of fear, but then he held up a pike with my mother's head on it. When he did that, something inside of me became angry and I lashed out at him, closing all of his chakra points rapidly before killing him by aiming a strike at his heart. As he fell, he said 'Don't lose that fire... the fire your Hokage is always talking about...' After that, I found myself back in the classroom. I... I think he's right... I'm so afraid of disappointing my father by trying my best that I haven't tried at all."

"That's a good lesson to learn. My father was strict with me, so I understand high expectations. I've seen Hyuuga fight, and to be honest I don't think its formal and stiff style fits you. You can do it, but you'd do your family a higher justice by inventing your own variation on the Gentle Fist." Saito shrugged as he continued. "Mind you, that's just my opinion, but this I know as fact: Follow your heart. Your skills will improve greatly, and maybe you'll even catch the eye of the one you want to impress."

Hinata blushed deeply and shook her head, saying "I-I don't w-w-want to impress anyone..."

"I saw you two this morning when Naruto ran into you. It wasn't the collision that knocked you out; it was him. You have good perception, but the both of you need to mature before anything can happen. However, if you're there to support him, he'll acknowledge you," Saito advised as he pulled out his lunch. "Mm, chicken ramen. Ichiraku makes the best ramen ever." Before he could pick up his chopsticks, however, he saw a blond head hovering over his bowl. He flicked the head and sent it, and the body attached to it, sprawling over himself and finally landing on the ground. "That was funny... better page Iruka, though; Naruto's probably going to want some ramen when he comes to." He began eating his ramen as Hinata looked at him for a second, then went over to Naruto to tend to him.

…

The physical combat and jutsu knowledge tests came and went far more quickly than the first two tests had. To Naruto's surprise, he remembered enough of how to pull off the jutsu that he managed to create the necessary number of clones to pass. Sasuke had recovered enough to pass easily, and three of the girls (Hinata, Sakura, and Ino) surprised everyone by passing their physical combat section better than had been expected. To the surprise of everyone, nine people had passed, which formed three teams. The rest were told to train and return next year, and all were dismissed with the exception of Kiba and Shikamaru. Neither could look at the other even if they wanted to, because the thermostat had been turned down, which forced the two to focus on keeping themselves warm. Shikamaru found himself unable to sleep and so slipped into his meditation pose, knowing that the less heat he expended, the longer he'd survive without getting sick. Kiba was curled up in a corner with Akamaru hidden in his coat to protect the pup from the cold air.

Meanwhile, several jonin were sitting in the Hokage's office, with a couple of surprising additions to the group. The Hokage stood at the window behind his desk, looking fondly out at the village as he began speaking. "I've summoned you all here to discuss team placements and replacements. With the help of the teacher and several observers, I've arranged the teams as I believe would be fitting. Each of you have received a folder containing the statistics and various notes concerning their personalities and other such details. Please look them over carefully before stating which team you would like to teach. Obviously, some of you will not be teaching a team exactly, but rather will be providing several individuals with specific training that they may be lacking in. Be sure to be thorough." Each jonin nodded and began leafing through the files, making mental note of each detail as they were trained to do. Several minutes passed before the Hokage spoke up again, saying "Alright, beginning with Kakashi and going around the room, state your desired team."

Kakashi: "Team Seven."

Kurenai: "Team Eight."

Asuma: "Team Eight or Ten."

Saito: "Team Seven or Ten."

Yamato: "Team Seven."

Yuugao: "Team Ten."

Anko: "Team Seven or Eight."

The Hokage nodded and looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi, why do you want to train Team Seven?"

"Well, sir," Kakashi said, "I feel that Sasuke and Naruto would benefit from my knowledge and experience, especially in certain areas. Plus, Inoichi said that it might prove a good opportunity to put old ghosts to rest."

The Hokage nodded, then looked at his ANBU Captain. "And you, Yamato?"

"All three children would benefit from someone who has ANBU training. Also, should Naruto begin using the Nine-tail's chakra, I can keep him in line. All three of them need discipline, which is something that an ANBU captain can best provide," Yamato intoned.

"Indeed," the Hokage replied, then turned to Anko. "What do you bring to the table, Anko?"

"A lot, sir!" Grinning from ear to ear, Anko twirled a dango stick in her fingers as she spoke. "I have as much experience as most of the people here, and I can keep any brats in line with my training. None of them will have any confidence or motivation issues, nor will they have any thoughts of leaving the village for any reason." A snake slid out of her coat and coiled around her arm, which she lifted up and smiled at. "Nope, no traitors under my watch..."

The Hokage simply nodded and looked at Saito. "What about you, Saito?"

"As the oldest and most well-balanced jonin here, I do believe that any team I teach will become a close-knit team that will learn from each other as well as from me," Saito responded. "However, I do wish to note that I will drive them as hard as Gai, and won't be inclined to let them apply for chunin rank for a few years yet; they all, near as I could tell, need to mature, and I humbly submit to my colleagues that they do the same. I fear dark times are ahead, and everyone needs to be ready."

"Agreed. We mustn't let this age of peace dull our edge," the Hokage said. "Yuugao?"

"Yes, sir!" Yuugao responded. "I am not sure if I have what it takes to lead a whole team of children, but I believe that Team Ten would greatly benefit from what I have to teach them. I don't plan on slacking off, either; what I do, they will do as well."

"They certainly would," the Hokage said, then fell silent as he mulled it over. The jonin, used to this, simply stood ready and waited patiently. After a couple of minutes, the Hokage turned and addressed all of them. "You all bring up very valid points. It looks like we're going to do things a little differently this year. Kakashi and Anko, you will both lead Team Seven. Kakashi has the final say on missions, but you both have to come to agreement on training methods." Anko grinned widely and Kakashi grimaced, knowing that he couldn't get away with reading his book during training time. "Asuma and Kurenai, you're taking Team Eight." Both of them nodded in agreement as the Hokage continued. "Saito and Yuugao, this means that your team is Team Ten. However, all of you, be prepared to do some cross-team training. Yamato, you'll continue on as captain of ANBU, but I also want you to train Naruto in chakra control. He was severely crippled in that area by errant teachers and is now practicing the basics, but needs a tutor to catch him up. It will also provide you with experience in dealing with children, something you currently lack." Yamato nodded in response. "Alright, you all have your assignments. Everyone is dismissed except for Yamato." As soon as the other jonin filed out, he relaxed somewhat and sighed. "I certainly hope this goes as planned."

"No worries, sir. No matter what, we're right beside you," Yamato said as he slipped his mask back on.

"Thank you." The Hokage turned and looked out across the village. "... Make it so." A poof told him that Yamato had left as his eyes traveled up to look at his first successor. "Minato, please tell me that this is the right path. So many will die if he escapes." As he gazed at the face cut from the mountain, a shadow passed over one eye, making it seem to blink, and he nodded back. "Let's do it, then." He sat back down and began writing his 'farewell speech'.


	4. Chapter 4

"What!? The old man is quitting!?" Naruto shouted, making some people look up from their food in curiosity. Iruka had taken him to Ichiraku Ramen for a celebratory meal and, up until that moment he had been engrossed in his bowl, but the news tore him away from it. Despite rumor, Naruto had higher priorities than ramen; the Hokage, Iruka, and training, in that order, ranked above it.

"Yes. The news was revealed during your second bowl. You have to remember that the Hokage is older now than he was when he retired the first time, and not even the strongest jutsu can stop the passage of time and its effects on the body," Iruka responded, speaking between bites of his own bowl of ramen.

"But he can't be defeated by anything! He's the Hokage, for crying out loud!" Naruto protested.

"In battle, perhaps, but please understand what I'm telling you. Time is not our enemy, in the sense of trying to destroy you, yet it is also the strongest enemy all of life fights because we're all attached to life," Iruka said. "Even I will die of old age, and you will too."

"I'll find a way, believe it! Time won't stop me!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Why? Why do you want to live forever?" Iruka asked. "Is it because you want to spend years upon years upon years with everyone you know and be happy?" Naruto nodded, which made Iruka sigh. "Look, Naruto, why do you think the Hokage has the love that he has for the people of the village?"

"Because he has a big heart?" Naruto said.

"That's part of it, but the truth of the matter is that he knows that all life dies eventually. Whether we live on after we die, as a spirit or in a new body, has been debated for many years, but there's no real way to prove one or the other. Some claim to have memories of a 'past life', while others have near-death experiences in which someone is waiting for them at the end of a tunnel, but the fact remains that there's no proof for either, so we assume that this is the only life we live. Because of that, we try to live the best lives that we can live and hope that we'll find rest in one way or another," Iruka responded.

"Ahh... you lost me until the end, but I think I get it." With that, Naruto went back to eating his soup. "So, what do you think the Hokage will be doing once he takes the hat off for the last time?"

Iruka shrugged, saying "I don't know. I guess you'll have to ask him that. Still, you should be getting ready for tomorrow, right?"

Naruto nodded. "No worries there, I'm all set. I'm still going to practice those chakra control exercises you taught me. Hey, sensei, do you think you can tell me who my teammates are going to be?"

"Nope; I merely helped with the information needed for the Hokage to make an informed decision. You'll just have to find out tomorrow," Iruka said before draining the last bit of broth from his bowl.

Naruto frowned and huffed. "Aww... that bites." He went back to eating, muttering "I hope Sakura's on my team..."

Iruka cocked an eyebrow. "Sakura? Why her?"

"Why not? She's beautiful, talented, smart- uh..." Naruto paused to think of more descriptive words. "Uh... oh, and she's beautiful!"

"... You said beautiful twice, Naruto," Iruka noted. "Think about something, though: how has Sakura treated you since you started pursuing her?"

"Well..." Naruto began as he tried to think of any times when Sakura had treated him in any other way than abusively. "Well... uh... it's a work in progress!" he finally said, letting his pride take over again.

Iruka buried his face in his hand and sighed, then said "Listen, Naruto, this isn't like training to be a ninja. You may be able to power through training, but you can't make someone else like you. All you can do is be yourself and hope they respond."

"But I've been doing that, and it's not working," Naruto complained.

"Then why not see if any of the other girls want to spend time with you?" Iruka asked, silently wondering why he, a single man, was giving Naruto love advice. "What about Ino, or Hinata, or one of the other girls from your class?"

Naruto thought out loud, saying "Well, Ino treats me better, except when it comes to Sasuke. Hinata... oh yeah!" He turned around to look at Iruka. "Yeah, you said you were going to explain that!"

"Explain..." Iruka's face betrayed his forgetfulness for a moment until he remembered too. "Oh yeah, this morning. Well, Naruto, you know that Hinata is shy, right?"

"Well, yeah, even when you call on her in class I can barely hear her. Does she have problems speaking? I know I wouldn't want to talk if I couldn't talk well," Naruto asked.

"No, Naruto, she has no speech issues. It's her attitude; it's the opposite of yours, Naruto," Iruka responded.

Naruto looked puzzled. "The opposite? How?"

"Well, you're confident in yourself; she has almost no confidence," Iruka said. "It's why I often catch her watching someone in class, and is why you ran into her on your way to school today."

"Aww, you mean she likes Sasuke too? Why does that walking lump of moodiness get all the attention?" Naruto muttered, pouting again.

"Again, no, Naruto. If she did, his fan club would have likely half-killed her by now." Iruka could not help but wish that Naruto had a little more common sense as he spoke. "No, remember the second part of what I said: you bumped into her shortly after leaving your apartment." He then pointed to a random spot on the table. "This is the center of the village." He then dragged his finger over to one side and said "and this is where Hinata lives," then dragged his finger past the first spot to another spot on the other side, saying "and this is where you live. Now, can you figure out why Hinata would walk past the school on exam day to the other side of the village, where you live?"

Naruto mulled it over for awhile, thinking 'Okay, why would she be there? There's nothing in my neighborhood that she might need, since all the shops are in the center of town. The clans live in the same areas, I assume, so she couldn't be visiting Sasuke or Kiba or Shikamaru. In fact, I'm the only one from class that lives in that area...' The shock from the revelation made him fall from his seat. "Wait, was she going to visit me?!"

"That would seem to be the case, although I doubt she has the courage right now to actually knock on your door and talk to you," Iruka said as he helped Naruto up.

The shock hadn't left Naruto's face, though. "But why? Why would a high-class girl like her even want to be seen around me?" He then continued in a whisper, saying "I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not really all that well-liked most days."

"I know, Naruto, and I'm sorry... but I don't know why. I think she cares about you, though," Iruka said, "and if it means that she gets more confidence in herself by being around you, then I'd say you should hang out with her more often."

Naruto stared at his bowl, which was still half-filled with ramen, clearly in shock. "She... cares about me?"

"Yeah," Iruka said. "In fact, she pulled you over to a tree when Saito knocked you for a loop- which reminds me, I thought I told you it was bad manners to hover over people's food. Anyway, if she cares enough about you to tend to you while you're unconscious, then you should at least give her a chance. You know what it's like to be ignored, so why ignore her?"

"You're right... I have been ignoring her. I've been in the same class with her a whole year, yet I never even talked to her." He got up quickly and ran off, shouting "I'll be right back, Iruka!"

Iruka sighed and chuckled as he turned to the owner, who had been watching. "I should have told him not to worry about it, at least until he makes chunin. Should I go chase him down, Teuchi?"

The owner, Ichiraku Teuchi, shook his head. "Naw, let kids be kids. Besides, I'd have to hunt you down for committing the heinous crime of dine-and-dashing." He began laughing, amused at the thought of chasing an errant ninja down.

"... Good point," Iruka said sarcastically, though he shared Teuchi's amusement.

…

Anyone who had ever visited the Hyuuga complex (and few were ever allowed) would first talk about how beautiful the grounds are. Everything looked so vibrant and healthy, no matter what time of year it was. The trees were always green, the grass always the perfect length, the people always so polite, the building itself always in perfect repair with no sign of age or wear. It looked picture-perfect to visitors. And indeed, even with the doors closed it looked perfect, but looks are always deceiving. Hairline fractures between the main house and the branch line were increasing, and everyone knew that one day they would break. The Caged Bird seal, the power of tradition over progression, and many other issues laid at the heart of these fractures that were always in the back of each Hyuuga's mind, with some reacting in one way while others reacted in others. The elders would periodically tighten their reins, Hiashi would train his children as strictly as tradition would dictate, and Neji would continue to plot his revenge against the main line, while everyone else simply tried to stay out of each others hair.

It was Naruto's luck that he would see a glimpse of this ugly truth as he stood in front of the gate to the Hyuuga complex. Before he rung the doorbell, a slender woman in her mid-twenties opened it up and fixed her Byakugan on the poor lad and asked, "Can I help you, young man?"

"Uh..." For a moment, Naruto forgot why he was there as he gazed into the piercing eyes of the servant, but then composed himself and said "Yes, I want to talk to Hinata. I'm from her class."

The woman paused, as if looking at something else, then said "Please follow me." Together, they walked down the main path and, taking a side path, approached the training area. Naruto recognized both of the people training, though he did not recognize the man watching them, and as he stood where the woman motioned for him to stay, she walked over to the older man and whispered something to him. He held up a hand and continued to watch the match, which looked heavily one-sided.

Naruto frowned as Neji fought Hinata, clearly using every moment to intimidate her and back her into a corner where he began to seal up all of her chakra points, hitting her with more force than he thought was needed; it was only when the older man yelled "Enough!" that the boy stopped, his hand inches from her chest. Hinata slumped down, exhausted, as Neji smirked and walked away and her father shook his head and approached Naruto. As he walked up, Naruto could feel a foreboding in his gut, but he held his peace as the man stared down at him.

The man inwardly had to admit that he imagined that Hinata's first suitor would be... well, definitely not "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto involuntarily gulped as he nodded, and said, "Yes, sir."

The man continued to stare at him for another moment, then began speaking again. "You're in the same class as my daughter." Naruto nodded again. "Then you would be able to give a more accurate assessment of her physical combat capabilities." Another nod. "Go ahead. Tell me how she did."

Naruto smiled for the first time since he left Ichiraku and began. "She was awesome!" Clearly the man did not expect this response because his posture shifted ever so slightly, though his expression seemed to remain the same. "I've only seen Sasuke move as fast as she did! She moved like water as her opponent tried to attack her, and when there was an opening she landed a hit that had her opponent crumple in an instant!"

"..." The man continued to stare, wondering if Naruto had simply been exaggerating, but he himself had to admit that Hinata had no bruises or anything when she returned from school, happily wearing her headband. He also had to admit that he never felt more proud of her than at that moment, but he'd forgotten when he had her spar with Neji. He turned and looked at Hinata, trying to ignore his breaking heart as Hinata slowly pulled herself up, her expression one of sadness and disappointment. Then he turned back and nodded once to Naruto. "I see. You wish to speak with my daughter?"

"Yeah. Things got so crazy at the academy that I didn't have a chance to congratulate her on passing the exam. I mean, they changed it so there were no grades; you either passed or failed. Weird, huh? Oh, uh, sorry... sir." Naruto said, beginning to feel a great weight under the man's gaze.

The man raised an eyebrow and decided to find out if it was his gaze that caused people to lose their composure. "Very well, then... you have five minutes. The lady who escorted you in will show you the way out." He then walked into the house.

Naruto was so lost he was brought out of his thoughts when the woman who had brought him in cleared her throat. "Oh, Hinata!" He turned around and ran over to where she was, helping her over to the porch and helping her sit down on the steps. "Hinata, are you alright?"

Hinata, who was dazed, didn't realize who was talking to her and, thinking that one of the servants was there, she muttered "It's no use... it doesn't matter what I do. I'll always disappoint Father..."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I can't beat Neji, I have so much trouble hitting the chakra points precisely, Hanabi is already showing more potential at her age than I have now..." Hinata said as she began to cry, even as Naruto pulled her in and hugged her.

"Don't worry, you can do it! It doesn't matter what others do. I've seen you fight, so I know you can beat them. Just have courage. I'll root for you, believe it!" Naruto said, trying to cheer Hinata up.

Hinata stopped crying when she heard 'believe it!' and looked up. As soon as she saw Naruto, her mind paused to process everything that had just happened. 'Wait... am I crying into Naruto's shoulder? And he said he'd root for me?!'

As Hinata's eyes began to roll back, Naruto panicked and said "Whoa, wait, don't faint on me! Look, I'm sorry I didn't notice you before, but I'm noticing you now. Please, I want to help you!" Unfortunately, he was cut off by a 'thud' as Hinata fainted. Naruto sighed and looked up at the woman, who nodded and escorted him back to the gate. Before the gate closed, Naruto found himself saying "Please, look after her."

The woman smiled and nodded. "You have my word, Mr. Uzumaki." With that, the gate closed, leaving Naruto bewildered yet again by her tone of respect.

…

"Tell me, beloved..." Hiashi said as he stared at the picture frame that held his most cherished possession: the first picture taken of him and his wife when they got married. "Did I ever scare you with my expression? I know you never stuttered around me..." Sighing, he looked around at the large room. It always seemed big, but now that he really looked at it he realized just how big and empty it felt. He shivered and held his arms close to himself and sat down on his bed. "Why did you have to die? I can't do this much longer... my daughters hate me, my family is breaking apart... I don't care if I have to throw both of my eyes away, I'd give up anything just to be able to raise my family right. Please... I don't know how to do anything." Just then, a knock rang out, and he quickly straightened, putting the picture away before opening the door. As he opened the door, he returned his face to a neutral expression. "Yes?"

"Forgive the intrusion, sir, but Lord Hokage requests your presence immediately," the ANBU ninja intoned, as a servant stood off to the side. ANBU were the only outsiders allowed free access to the hallways, but the Hyuuga family was so large that there would be at least one person in each hallway and room.

"Ah, yes. I will depart now," Hiashi said, already striding past the ANBU and heading toward the front of the house. By the time he turned the corner, the ANBU was already gone and the servant was resuming his duties. As he stepped out, Hiashi thought 'Perhaps I can speak to the Hokage about this matter...'

…

"Danzo, I am pleased to see you arriving as punctual as usual," Sarutobi said as the man walked in and sat down in a chair opposite him.

"It is rare indeed for you to want to see me outside of the usual council meetings, my old friend. What can I do for you today?" Danzo replied, smiling perplexedly.

"Well," the Hokage began, "you know full well how much I have given for this village. I have seen two wars, natural disasters, and more death than most men my age."

"Indeed, Sarutobi. You have done most well in bringing about this era of peace for our nation," Danzo replied.

"Yes, well, I am beginning to feel the years weigh on me more lately than they did back when I handed the reins to Minato, and when I was forced to take them up yet again." Sarutobi and Danzo knew each other so well that even no tells were tells to them. Sarutobi knew that Danzo's ire would be raised by mentioning his previous successor, and Danzo knew when Sarutobi was caving under pressure. "I have decided to retire once more. None of my jonin have the wisdom to lead a whole country, and I fear that dark times are ahead. We need a strong leader, and you're our only option." Danzo's eyes widened at the revelation, which said a lot because the guy usually wasn't surprised by anything. "Do you accept?"

"Of course, but what of you? Surely you have some years left," Danzo said, seeming to object to the thought of Sarutobi leaving.

"There's a group of S-class ninja criminals gathering, and given enough time they'll have enough strength to cause chaos among the Elemental Nations. You were the stronger of the two of us, so we'll need you to lead the ninja corps when the time comes to face them," Sarutobi admitted.

Danzo frowned; he already knew about Red Dawn from Madara, though he didn't know their plans. 'It must be serious if it has him scared like this... at least he's finally coming to his senses.' "Don't sell yourself short, Sarutobi. I'll still need your help, just as we have always helped each other in the past."

"Indeed. However, before I give you the hat, I would like you to undertake a full medical examination," Sarutobi added, making Danzo quirk an eyebrow. "Obviously, you and I are around the same age, and you have sustained lasting injuries in the last war. I merely wish to be sure that they will not cause any problems should war come once again."

Danzo paused as he weighed the benefits and risks of such an examination, but his desire for power, finally within his grasp, won out and he nodded. "Certainly. I may not be able to move around, but surely they will find nothing wrong."

"That's good." The Hokage stood up and continued, saying "Then you won't mind if I accompany you? I must admit, I am rather excited about finally being able to retire, and I don't want to wait for the paperwork."

"That is most acceptable," Danzo said. "I do prefer the company of a friend to such a place. You know I am not the biggest fan of hospitals; too much suffering and death." He stood up as well and began to walk with the Hokage.

…

Nothing quite caused a stir like this event. Most people knew that Sarutobi and Danzo had differences when it came to running the village, but it was surprising to see the two talking and laughing like old friends out in the streets like they now were. Everyone felt relief as they watched, the feeling that old wounds were finally healing spreading to them, and it caused great geniality to be expressed among the citizens as they went about their own business, even as the word spread to other areas of the village that the dove and hawk were patching things up.

Above them, both ANBU and ROOT ANBU were watching with surprise and confusion. They too did not know anything about what was going on and could not figure out why the two old men who so often before would butt heads were now acting like best friends. Only Yamato, who silently applauded the Hokage's acting skills, knew the truth, and he kept an especially sharp eye on the ROOT ANBU. He never trusted them, even when he himself was in ROOT. He didn't know if they'd found out or not, but he wasn't about to let them find out, so he acted like he was shadowing the Hokage as usual (which he actually was) so he didn't draw any suspicion.

Danzo and the Hokage made their way to where Sarutobi had the trap set, and as they were allowed into the room, the nurse at the door said "No unauthorized personnel beyond these doors. That includes ANBU."

Danzo looked like he was about to object, but Sarutobi spoke first, saying "Of course. They would only get in the way of the doctors, no matter how good they are at staying out of the way. No way to tell if emergencies won't pop up and they'll need room to move, right, Danzo?"

"This is true..." Turning to his men, Danzo waved them off and they disappeared in a poof of smoke. With that done, they were escorted into the examination room. Unknown to Danzo and the ROOT ANBU, several tag seals had been placed on the walls of the room and been painted over or covered by objects of various types. Danzo sat down on the bed and the doctor, who had followed them in, began asking the routine questions, making notes on the chart that was on his clipboard.

After the doctor left, the Hokage used a hand seal, hidden by his robe arms, to activate the seals. A nurse came in with bandages and said, "Lord Danzo, I need to replace your bandages. Excuse me."

Danzo unconsciously shifted, ever so slightly, to shield his arm from the nurse, saying "Surely it can wait until later."

"I'm sorry, but we're going to need to X-ray your arm so we can know the full extent of your mobility, and the cloths will get in the way," the nurse replied. "Besides, I can tell that those are old bandages, and surely you don't want all that dead skin to rub against the skin underneath it. You can get infected very easily as a result."

"What's wrong, Danzo?" Sarutobi asked. "You're not acting normal. Is there something wrong with your arm?"

"No, nothing's wrong," Danzo responded, noting that the Hokage was blocking the only way out. His panic rose against his will as he continued, saying "Why would there be anything wrong? The bandages were replaced yesterday."

"But the nurse recognized them as being old. Besides, you don't wear the same clothes twice in a row, right?" Sarutobi countered. "Then why wear the same bandages two consecutive days?"

"..." Danzo was in trouble, and he knew it. 'I was hoping to hide it until we were set to go to war, but I will have the position of Hokage if it kills me!' Acting as if he was complying, Danzo undid his sling and ripped the bandages off his arm, then pulled his eye-patch off. The Hokage grimaced at the sight: in his eye was indeed an active Sharingan, and in his arm as many as twelve, it seemed, were also implanted. He began making hand signs more quickly than Sarutobi had anticipated. "Fire style: Grand Fireball jutsu!" To his surprise, though, nothing happened. Danzo looked down and realized that the eyes looked vacant and lifeless. It was also then that he realized that he could still see out of only his normal eye. "What has happened- gah!" He was cut off as the nurse cut his throat open with a scalpel.

"That is the effect of a chakra seal. This whole floor, in fact, has chakra seals in place. As for you, you just tried to kill me. Treason deserves death," the Hokage said as he drove a kunai into Danzo's skull. His eye (not any of the Sharingan) immediately went lifeless, and all the Sharingan rolled upward as skin closed over them. Sighing, Sarutobi stood back and nodded to the ANBU nurse who was in there with him. "Good work. Extract the Sharingan eyes and destroy them before undoing the chakra seals." He looked at his robes, which now had blood on them, and sighed. "I need new clothes." With that, he walked out of the room and began to get everything else taken care of.


	5. Chapter 5

The village was shocked to learn of Danzo's death, which was attributed to a stroke followed by heart failure. There had been nothing the doctors could do, because of the speed which it had occurred. "Not even Lady Tsunade could have prevented his death" was added for effect, because her skills as a medic-ninja were legendary. The Hokage, who truly mourned the loss of his old friend, proceeded over the burial ceremony and, though Danzo's name was not etched into the Memorial Stone since his death had been in peacetime, ordered that another stone of similar type, though much smaller, be used as his headstone. Not one word of his treachery was breathed outside of the ANBU and jonin ranks, on pain of death.

Without Danzo, the ROOT ANBU collapsed and Danzo's secret base was successfully raided. The seals were lifted from their tongues, and the Hokage ordered a rehabilitation program be created for the former ROOT, based on the program following the previous disbanding. Many orphans and former academy dropouts were found and given places to live with welcoming families. The myriads of documents which details Danzo's plans were studied and then burned, since it was determined that they would not serve the village's greater good. One particular ROOT prodigy, Sai, was assigned under Yamato, who was given the task to retrain the young man alongside the new genin teams.

The genin teams were given a week off due to Danzo's death, which many of them used in different ways. Naruto found himself in his team's designated training field with Hinata, who was helping him with chakra control. "How's this, Hinata?"

"You're using too much again, Naruto," Hinata muttered. It had taken Naruto two days just to get Hinata to tell him the truth, even if it meant he was doing something wrong. This was all new territory for the Hyuuga heiress, who was still having trouble keeping conscious around him, especially when he smiled at her. "Try to imagine a pipe with a handle that controls the flow, and turn the handle to decrease the amount you're letting flow."

Naruto nodded and focused. "Like this?" Hinata watched through her Byakugan as the circling chakra in Naruto's body began to slow down and diminish in overall amount, and she nodded, making Naruto smile and focus harder until he slipped and the chakra returned to its default amount. "Man, that's not much chakra at all. I always seem to lose grasp of it at that amount." He looked at Hinata. "Why do you think that is?"

"Well... uh... I'm not s-sure, but maybe it's because you have so much raw chakra," Hinata explained. "I once heard Kurenai-sensei m-mention that ninja who have a lot of chakra also have a really hard t-time using genjutsu because of the precise control it requires."

"Hm... I wonder why," Naruto wondered. "Ah well, I'll ask Iruka-sensei about it when I see him." With that, he began to focus again under Hinata's watchful eye. He had a long way to go, and they both knew it, but they were just glad to be making some progress both in their training and their friendship.

…

"It's a shame about Danzo, Lord Hokage," Hiashi said as he sat down opposite the older man. "You have my family's deepest regrets."

"It does my heart good to see veterans honored. Thank you," the Hokage responded. "How may I help you today?"

Hiashi paused, which was rare, even in front of the Hokage, and more rare in private. "Well, sir... if I may speak with you bluntly, father to father?"

"You may, though as you well know my relationship with my son you might want to consider asking someone else," Sarutobi answered.

"Perhaps, but then my pride is too hard to allow me to seek anyone else." Hiashi sighed, then continued. "I fear I might be driving my children too hard. Neji is filled with hate, has been since his father died; Hinata can't even look at me, let alone speak to me without stuttering, nearly to the point that I can hardly understand her; and Hanabi... well, I fear she's turning into a carbon-copy of me."

Sarutobi nodded. "When do you think this started? It sounds like you recently realized this."

"Yes, sir, and I apologize for not saying anything last time I was here. It was almost a week ago, just after the Academy exam. The young Uzumaki had come by to talk to Hinata, who was in a sparring match with Neji. She was losing, and in fact I had to stop the match because Neji was aiming a strike on her chest." The Hokage's eyes widened at this, as he knew how lethal such an attack was. "As it was, she collapsed against a tree, and I could tell that Uzumaki was barely able to keep himself from interfering. I don't know what they talked about, but it forced me to stop and contemplate everything that had happened." Hiashi looked up at the sky in a rare display of emotion as he continued, saying "I think it began when my wife died. I loved her, and I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of raising two daughters and a nephew. I guess I defaulted to the advice of the family's elder council, who are extremely conservative."

The Hokage nodded, remembering his two advisers and Danzo. "I can't say I blame you for that, but did a part of you feel like you were doing something wrong?"

"She's a lot like her mother, but I treated her like I would have a son. I pushed too hard, though, and I think I felt like something was wrong," Hiashi said.

"Your wife's memory is strong, as it should be, but it sounds like you never moved on from your mourning stage," Sarutobi noted.

Hiashi nodded reluctantly. "I suppose so... what should I do?"

The Hokage leaned forward and leveled his gaze at the young Hyuuga lord. "You need to see a registered psychologist. Yamanaka Inoichi is the best one that I know. I may be the Professor, but I'm not qualified to help someone with their personal life."

"But your wife died relatively recently," Hiashi said. "Surely any experience you gained from that might help."

"In terms of coming to terms with the loss, perhaps, but like I said at the beginning, I'm not the best man to ask for fatherly advice," Sarutobi countered. "I can order you to do it, but I'd rather you go of your own volition. What I will say is that I came to believe in an afterlife, one of rest for good souls and one of torture for evil ones."

Hiashi nodded and stood. "Thank you for your time, sir."

"It was my pleasure, Hiashi. Please, don't be a stranger," the Hokage responded, also rising. "I hope you find the answers you need." After Hiashi left, the Hokage pulled out his pipe and looked at it. "I'm such a hypocrite..." He threw the pipe into the air and incinerated it with a well-controlled fire-type jutsu.

…

The week passed and soon everyone was back to their same old routine. That is, except for nine teenagers, who now sat in their old classroom as they waited for their teachers to show up. Naruto looked around with a new fondness for the room. He could see each time he'd etched his name into his desk, hear the same flow of conversation between people, smell the cleanness of the walls and floors, feel the hard bench that he'd sat at for several years, and even taste the ramen he looked forward to after each lesson.

Meanwhile, the conversation had been singular in its topic. "Man, I still can't believe that guy died! I watched him walk with the Hokage," Sakura was saying. "Sure, with his injuries he couldn't move all that well, but I thought he looked pretty healthy, all things considered."

"I know, right?" Ino added. "I didn't see it, but a lot of people in the neighborhood did."

"Man, I don't know about you guys," Kiba muttered, "but I saw him walking with the Hokage, and I did not like the smell coming off that guy. It's like he had death sprayed all over him, kind of like cheap perfume." Akamaru barked and Kiba nodded. "See? Akamaru agrees with me."

"He was a war hero, Kiba," Shino interjected. "He would have a lot of blood on his hands, figuratively speaking. He paid for his deeds by losing an eye and an arm, plus limited mobility." Before Kiba could object, Shino held up a hand. "That having been said, I was getting some weird vibes from my bugs. Both the ANBU and Lord Danzo's guards were very tense and alert, though as confused as anyone else there. I think they suspected something was about to happen."

"Do you think there was foul play?" Sakura asked. "But the only one who could have harmed him was the Hokage."

Shikamaru began to mumble loud enough for them to hear, even though his head was still resting on his desk. "An internal power struggle... it was common knowledge that they disagreed on many of the village's policies, including the ninja program itself. However, I think that if the Hokage did something, Lord Danzo must have deserved it, since the Hokage is too gentle to do something cruel like stifle political dissent by violent means. Granted, that's only if the report was false..."

"That's right!" Naruto shouted. "The Hokage has to follow the rules, just like we do, so he couldn't have done anything to him! The only time that trial by jury is ignored is when treachery is committed, and everyone knows that Danzo was a war hero that was loyal to the village."

Everyone stared at Naruto with a shocked expression, clearly unable to comprehend that Naruto had said something intelligent. The first one to speak was Sakura, who said, "Uh, Naruto... how exactly did you know that?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and said, "Well, I've been doing a lot of catchup work lately. Long story short, many of the teachers shafted me, so Iruka-sensei is helping me go over basic stuff that he didn't cover in the class that he taught, and Hinata is helping me understand those things better."

Now everyone looked at Hinata, who pulled her head into her coat. Kiba began snickering and sang, "Naruto and Hinata, sitting in a tree, K-I-S- ow!"

Behind him stood a furious Ino, whose knuckles were red from punching Kiba in the back of the head. "You insensitive jerk! How dare you mess with a woman's mind like that!"

"Yeah, that's your specialty," Kiba muttered, only to get rewarded with another hit in the back of the head. This made him stand up and turn on her. "You want to settle this, ninja to ninja?!"

"You bet!" Ino shouted back defiantly. "Just name the time and place!"

"How about in jail right now for assaulting a fellow comrade?" a voice asked. Both Kiba and Ino whirled around to see what they thought was a scarecrow for a second standing over them, seeming to smile, though they couldn't tell because of his mask.

"Uh, no, sir," Kiba and Ino replied, the former sitting back down in his seat.

"Excellent," the man replied as he turned and walked back down to the teacher's desk, where several other adults stood. "Now then..." he said as he looked around, "my name is Hatake Kakashi, and this is Mitarashi Anko. We are the jonin-sensei for Team Seven. When your name is called, come down so that we can have our first team meeting, which will be held on the roof." He picked up a piece of paper and read out loud, saying "Uchiha Sasuke, Aburame Shino, and Yamanaka Ino." Immediately the three students stood up and excused themselves with their teachers.

"I am Yuuhi Kurenai and this is Sarutobi Asuma. We're the jonin-sensei for Team Eight. Please come forward, Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba." Team Eight then dismissed itself.

"Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto, pleased to meet you. I am Saito Hajime, and this is my partner Yuugao. We are your jonin-sensei. Let us take a walk; it's such a beautiful day outside, don't you think?" Saito said, smiling as he spoke.

'A walk? Troublesome sensei...' Shikamaru thought as he stood up to leave.

'Yes! I can continue my path to become the next Hokage! Weird sensei, though... that smile scares me.' Naruto thought as he followed behind Shikamaru.

'I hope I can really prove myself,' Hinata thought as she walked with her team.

Saito, still smiling as the teens filed out, turned to Yuugao. "This should be pretty easy, don't you think?"

"Not really, and stop smiling. It's still creepy," Yuugao responded.

…

"Man, this sucks!" Naruto muttered as he hung from a tree upside down, his leg caught in a rope trap. Hinata hung next to him, feeling the same way but not saying anything. Shikamaru found himself pinned to a tree with a dozen kunai, having seen every trap but that one, and sighed as he muttered his catch-phrase.

"You can't expect to become competent ninja if you don't look for the signs!" Saito said, still smiling. Yuugao was cradling her face in the palm of her hand at his apparent childishness as he continued. "Naruto, do you think you have what it takes to out-prank me? Hinata, can you invent a way out of your predicament? Shikamaru, surely you can escape even that trap!"

Naruto growled as he tried to cut himself loose. "You bet! I'll hit you with so many pranks you'll be running scared, believe it!" Hinata, meanwhile, was studying the ropes that held the both of them captive.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered, seeing the elaborateness of the trap he was currently in. He could see the tiny strings that each kunai was attached to. 'If it were me, I would've had dummy wires attached to some and real wires attached to others...' He picked a kunai and pulled it off of him, but as he did, it triggered two more. One replaced the freed kunai, while the other cut off his ponytail and nearly shaved his head right down the middle.

"Wrong one, Shikamaru!" Saito shouted. "Be careful; one might be aimed at your heart!"

Shikamaru grimaced as he thought about the possibility of being wrong again. 'That was too close... I need to figure out what I need to do.'

Hinata, meanwhile, was dealing with blood rushing to her head as she tried to figure out the knot, but it was so intricate that she couldn't follow it. As she thought about it, her mind leaped back to the exam. 'He said something about being inventive then and now, so it must be something only I can do...' She activated her Byakugan and saw that chakra was running through the ropes, keeping them taut and unable to be untied, so she tried a Gentle Fist strike, but it didn't disrupt the flow. Frowning, she muttered "Inventive... inventive..." as she studied it harder and tried to think.

Naruto had just gotten out of his rope, which did not have chakra running through it, and was rushing at Saito. "Let's fight! You and me!" He pulled out a huuma shuriken and threw it at the jonin, who simply went 'poof' and disappeared. "A clone? But it was solid! Where did he go?" He looked around and saw no one, then above and still saw no one. He then found something wrap around his ankles and immediately replaced himself in that spot with a log, which got pulled into the ground.

"Nice try, Naruto," Saito said as he appeared behind Naruto. "Good reflexes, but none of your tricks will work on me." He then kicked Naruto and sent him flying.

Shikamaru found nearly every piece of his clothing cut up from trying to figure out the trick with the kunai trap, though he could tell that he hadn't been injured at all. "Curious... why would he go through this elaborate scheme?" Watching Naruto, he realized something. 'Of course!' Substitution was one of the only basic jutsu that didn't require a hand seal, so he simply replaced himself. Of course, that set all of the traps off and the tree became riddled with kunai.

Hinata was sweating profusely as she tried to figure out the riddle of the chakra-infused rope, but shortly she became entranced by the duel between Naruto and Saito. Watching their teacher, she realized what she was doing wrong and adjusted her chakra flow to match the flow of the rope. It immediately undid itself and she fell to the ground. After taking a minute to recover, she stood up and ran to help Naruto.

Soon the battle was a three-on-one. Shikamaru would support from the rear with kunai, waiting for an opportunity to bind Saito, while Naruto and Hinata would try to work together to get Saito into a corner. Each one didn't know what the other was doing, but somehow their attacks flowed as Saito continued to fight them. He was drawing them into another trap, not really fighting so much as defending as he continued to dodge and weave between the two fighters. He soon found himself against a wall, with Naruto and Hinata standing at points that cut off his escape routes. Shikamaru took the chance and lashed out with his Shadow Possession jutsu, seeming to catch the man. Naruto and Hinata closed in, but Saito simply smiled and said "Try again!" and went 'poof' as Naruto and Hinata hit him, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Before Shikamaru could even move, he found himself pulled into the ground, with only his head sticking out. Naruto saw and ran over, but also found himself pulled into the ground. The same happened to Hinata, and all three found themselves staring up at five copies of their sensei. "Ah, the Shadow Clone. Such a useful jutsu... good for scouting, fighting, just about anything," one of them said as the other clones disappeared. "Well done, team." He looked over to Yuugao, who was collecting the kunai. "What are your thoughts?"

"Pitiful trap detection, pathetic actual fighting skills, no notable jutsu except for the Nara family jutsu. Laughable, if you ask me," Yuugao responded. "If they were enemy ninja I'd kill them just to put them out of their misery." Naruto's jaw dropped as Yuugao sealed her kunai and other ninja tools in a scroll.

Saito laughed again and said, "I get that. Personally, I'd send them back to their home village in chakra-resistant paint, stripped down to their skivvies and fingers bound together behind their backs. Wait, I've actually done that before. Want to see a picture?"

All three genin and the other jonin blanched at the thought (Hinata couldn't faint because she was constricted by her hole) and responded, "No, thank you!"

"Spoilsports..." Saito muttered as he tapped his foot on the ground. Three spikes shot up out of the earth, each one holding the three genin. "Now, the good thing is that your teamwork is acceptable for your level. The rest we can work on as we go." He looked at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, your control over your family jutsu is commendable, but your overall chakra capacity needs to be worked on." His eyes then switched to Hinata. "Hinata, good work on figuring out the trick of the chakra rope. As for what you need to work on, in the time being, is to fine-tune your Byakugan sight to detect such minute details more quickly. You'll get some chakra rope of your own, with which you can practice until you feel comfortable doing it." Last, his gaze fell on Naruto. "Naruto, you are lacking in a decent fighting style, which is easily worked on. I know you're working on chakra control, so keep at that. The huuma shuriken is a good weapon, but requires teamwork and stealth to use effectively. You also seem to have no signature jutsu of your own, unlike the Nara and Hyuuga families. Hinata," he said, glancing at the half-buried girl, "how much chakra does Naruto currently possess?"

"I don't know how to measure it, sensei, but it far exceeds even your overall amount," Hinata replied. "If he had the chakra control, he could use an A-rank elemental jutsu without tiring out afterward, assuming it was his natural affinity."

Saito smiled again. "Excellent. I'll teach you the Shadow Clone jutsu. I can make ten a day, so I bet you could make a hundred without exhausting yourself. However, before I do you must learn how to use a Shadow Clone properly; it isn't forbidden for just any old reason, you know."

"A forbidden jutsu!? Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, but then paused. "Wait, won't you get in trouble with the ol- er, the Hokage?"

Saito simply shrugged and answered, "Nah, I already cleared it with him. He said he wanted to do something for you, since you finally graduated the academy, and he figured that a jutsu suited to your natural abilities would be good. All of you, eventually, will be learning the Shadow Clone, but Hinata's probably the only other of you three who could use it relatively effectively." He began to pace as he talked. "Now listen, this is no field trip; all of you are going to be training harder and longer than ever. Shikamaru, this warning goes especially for you: if I find any of you trying to skip out on training, I'll be sending you to train with Team Gai for one day. Next time, two consecutive days. Such a process will continue until I have had enough and basically sign your 'forced retirement' papers; I already have full backing from both my partner and the Hokage, so don't bother complaining to them. You're our squad now, both mine and Yuugao's, and you will obey our orders." He turned to Yuugao and nodded. "Your turn."

In a flash, the ANBU had her sword out and pointed at each one of them. "We will immediately begin with discipline, as Saito-sensei has said. We're going to run the basics into you three until you don't even have to think about them to use them! No hand seals for any basic jutsu, no thinking about what's next; you'll know by instinct. Once that has been settled, we'll begin focusing on your fighting styles. Hyuuga, I know you have one, so we won't worry about that too much, except to polish it; Naruto, you are a brawler right now, but by the time you become a chunin you'll have a definitive fighting style and will be able to use it very effectively. Shikamaru..." she said as the sword came closer, until it touched the tip of his neck. "You are mine. I will train you in the art of the sword; you can choose your weapons once you're familiar with them. You won't need hand seals for your family jutsu, and you can be guaranteed that you won't be using it on any mission until you get to the point where you get your hands chopped off and are still able to use the jutsu. And if you are ever one MILLISECOND late... let's just say you'll be target practice for a squad of ANBU. Got it?"

Shikamaru had long since began to sweat out of genuine fear and found he could do nothing but nod his head so hard it looked like it would pop off and say, "Yes, Yuugao-sensei!" Naruto and Hinata looked at him with surprise, as they had never seen Shikamaru practically shout a response or not mutter 'troublesome'.

Saito pushed the sword away from Shikamaru's neck with his finger and smiled. "See? Wasn't that easy?" The pillars collapsed from around the teenagers. "Now, have a good rest of your day. Be sure to rest up for tomorrow!" Grinning, he disappeared. Yuugao shook her head and disappeared as well.

"... We have a pair of crazy sensei, don't we?" Naruto asked.

"Yup... but it looks like we don't have much of a choice," Shikamaru responded.

"If they can help us get stronger, then I'm fine with it," Hinata commented.

Naruto turned and smiled at Hinata, saying "You and me both, Hinata! Let's go train!" A thump was all he got in response as the girl fainted.

"Troublesome lovebirds..." Shikamaru muttered, then looked up and sighed. "The sky is all one cloud. Troublesome... I'm going home. Maybe Dad can make some sense out of all this..." He began trudging along in the direction of his house.

"Wait, Shikamaru, help me with Hinata!" Naruto shouted, though he only got a wave in response. Sighing, he propped Hinata against a tree and sat down next to her, contemplating the next day.


	6. Chapter 6

"Good day, Sasuke," Inoichi said as the raven-haired kid entered his flower shop. "You usually don't stop by for another couple of months. Is something wrong?"

To his shock, Sasuke looked lost in his thoughts as he wandered through the rows of fresh flowers at first, though finally the boy stopped in front of him and said, "I need to talk to you. It's... personal. The Hokage mentioned that you were someone who I could talk to."

Inoichi nodded and, slipping out of his smock and calling for his wife to tend the shop, he opened the door to the back. "Come on, let's talk in private, then."

Sasuke nodded and walked into the back room, which was an office. The desk was neatly kept, with only a stack of papers in the center of it suggesting its current usage. Inoichi sat down and said, "Sit down, Sasuke. You know, I've been waiting for you to start talking about it, if it's what I think you're referring to." Sasuke nodded, which made Inoichi continue. "I'm curious, though. Why did you decide to come in today? Isn't your team meeting today?"

"Kakashi-sensei let us out early, though Anko-sensei is training Ino right now." Suppressing a shudder, he looked at Inoichi. "I was recently told that my anger was misplaced, that my brother in fact had nothing to do with my family's death. I need to revisit the actual memory, rather than my nightmare's version."

"That should be easy enough, but I have to admit that it does sound odd that such information would surface after all this time. Are you sure it's reliable?" Inoichi asked.

Sasuke shook his head and responded, "No, I'm not, but that's the reason why I need the memory. Plus... I have to admit, I'm tired of being angry all the time. It's draining..."

Inoichi nodded, saying "Exactly. It's one of the most raw of our emotions, unable to be controlled without a lot of training, and is very draining on your energy. What other sorts of feelings did you have? Can you describe them?"

"Pain... lots of pain," Sasuke mumbled as tears came to his eyes. "I can't remember any of them doing anything wrong, let alone something bad enough to deserve death. My dad was always angry about something, but he never told me or my mom. My brother and I were close, you know... he loved to take time off to hang out with me. He'd always show off, or help me train, or take me out for ice cream. I haven't had any since then... but seeing him there, seemingly unrepentant and arrogant, so unlike himself, I couldn't help but feel rage and pain. It wasn't until the next day, when I woke up in the hospital, that I began to dedicate myself solely to becoming a ninja and hunting down Itachi..." That's when he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. Inoichi got up and hugged Sasuke, patting him on the back while saying "Yes, let it out. Cry your heart out... it's the only way to begin healing."

"Why? Why did they have to die?!" Sasuke half-cried, half-shouted. "Everything was fine until that happened!"

"I don't know, Sasuke..." Inoichi responded, still hugging him. "I don't know..." In truth, he did know at least part of the truth, but he knew that telling Sasuke now would only increase the pain when right now was the time to *decrease* the pain rather than throwing another burden on him.

This continued for half of an hour, by which time Sasuke felt like he had literally cried out every last tear he had. He now sat in front of the desk, sipping some tea that Inoichi's wife had brought in. 'It's soothing...' Sasuke thought, 'This is the most soothing tea I've ever had.' Something came to mind as he thought about it. "Oh yeah, do you know about my ancestor, Uchiha Madara?"

Inoichi found himself taken aback by the question. "You mean the founder of your clan? All I really know about him is that he fought Senju Hashirama for control of the Leaf Village. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's part of why I asked to view that memory again. It's crazy, but since everyone else in my family is dead aside from my brother and I, then maybe... I looked in my family records, or what was left of them, and found that there's no recorded death date for him," Sasuke said.

Inoichi nodded and said, "Alright... but if it gets too painful, just shout 'Stop!' and I'll release the jutsu, okay?"

"Alright," Sasuke said as he closed his eyes.

Inoichi placed his hands on Sasuke's head and whispered "Memory Viewing jutsu." In an instant his eyes became blank as he entered Sasuke's mind.

_"Ah..." Sasuke said as he looked around the hallway. "The jutsu must bring back even the smells, not just the vision."_

_ "That is correct, Sasuke," Inoichi said, though it seemed as if only an echo. "Don't worry if you can't see me; my chakra is fueling the memory so that you can remember every single detail. This jutsu comes in use for eyewitnesses of various crimes, among other things."_

_ "That's cool," Sasuke responded. "Did you use it to help the Uchiha Police Force?"_

_ "I did, in fact, whenever I wasn't running a mission for the Hokage or taking care of my family," Inoichi noted. "Ah, the memory's starting. Don't worry about it being in third-person; that's another effect of the jutsu, to help separate a victim from the event they experienced in case of emotional trauma."_

_ "Thank you..." Sasuke mumbled as he watched his younger self run past him and stop in front of the door to the meeting hall in the Uchiha manor. Gathering up his courage, he walked over to the doorway and listened in from around the corner, as if not to be caught by the other man in the memory, as the younger Sasuke began speaking. He listened hard as the other man in the room began to speak and gasped as he realized that the voice was, in fact, not that of his older brother! It was close, but there was a slight raspy quality to his voice, a manner of his speech that Itachi had never used, and as he peered around the corner, he realized that the eyes of the man were slightly different than the ones he saw on his older brother. "Alright; stop!" Sasuke shouted._

Immediately Sasuke found himself back in Inoichi's office. He breathed a sigh of relief as the other man's eyes returned to their normal focus. "It's true!" he said, smiling from ear to ear. "It wasn't Itachi!" He jumped up and began to look around, as if trying to figure out which way Itachi went. "I have to go find him! He doesn't have to live as an outlaw anymore!"

"I'm afraid it doesn't work quite like that, Sasuke," Inoichi commented. "Your brother is still famous, even after all this time. The stigma that he'd bear even after being cleared would prevent him from living a normal life, not to mention a ninja life, even if he were to be permanently set as a genin."

Sasuke slammed his fists on the desk, saying "Come on! There has to be something I can do!"

Inoichi raised an eyebrow. "Does a short temper run in your family, Sasuke?"

"Huh?" Sasuke asked, confused until he realized that his reddened fists were still sitting on Inoichi's desk. He quickly withdrew them and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect."

Inoichi sighed and put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's alright, Sasuke. Your emotions are running at a fever pitch right now. Just breathe deeply a few times and relax. It's important that, as a ninja, you learn to be able to think with a clear head no matter the circumstances."

"You're right," Sasuke replied between breaths. Soon he had calmed down and began speaking again. "I want to know, though. Is there anything we can do?"

"Well," Inoichi began, "we need to speak with the Hokage. He'll begin formulating a plan, but since we don't know where he is right now it would be difficult to form an immediate rescue plan. In the meantime, train. Show him the true strength of a Leaf ninja."

Sasuke smiled and nodded, saying "Yes, sir! Say, can you teach me to control my emotions?"

"Well, we won't be able to meet often, but I'll see you as much as possible, provided it doesn't interfere with your normal training," Inoichi offered. The two shook hands and then left the shop to visit the Hokage.

…

While Asuma was busy battling with Kiba and Chouji, Sakura found herself locked in a one-on-one duel with the Genjutsu Mistress. The pink-haired girl would often break a genjutsu, only to find another genjutsu up, so she had to be quick on her feet while she broke free of each genjutsu. As she did this, Kurenai would periodically yell, "Quicker, Sakura! You need to break them faster if you want any chance at taking me on!" 'Although, throwing up all these genjutsu is tiring; I need to step in and beat her before I'm out of chakra.'

Sakura breathed heavily as she continually sent out pulses of chakra to dispel the genjutsu, thinking 'Does she get how difficult this is? I've nearly gotten killed by kunai several times already, and I have to keep dispelling different genjutsu?' As she broke another one, she saw another kunai coming and reflexively dodged it, only to see Kurenai's fist slam into her face. As she flew back, she thought 'That's odd; she hasn't attacked physically yet. Is she finally running low on chakra? I hope so, because I'm almost out now. Otherwise I would've used a Replacement jutsu...' She caught the older woman using hand seals for another jutsu and averted her eyes, but to no avail as this one was a sound-based genjutsu that threw her body off-center. Swaying, she was easy prey for Kurenai, and soon found herself flat on her back.

"Not too bad, Sakura, but nowhere good enough. Do you have no pride as a woman, let alone as a ninja?" Kurenai asked.

"I only just graduated, Kurenai-sensei! I don't nearly have the skills or reflexes you do," Sakura retorted.

Kurenai frowned, saying "When I was your age, I was constantly training. Because of that, I ate a lot of food, something you've probably never done since you hit puberty, right?" Sakura didn't say anything, so Kurenai continued. "Forget love; it will only kill you right now. What you need is respect; without that, no man is going to give you even a second glance."

"I'm trying, sensei, but I get tired so easily," Sakura complained. "I promised Ino that I would become a respectable ninja, but-"

"There are no 'buts', Sakura. You know how weak you are, and you know how to improve," Kurenai said as she got off of Sakura. "Do it. Trust me: neither Asuma-sensei nor I will be soft on you because you're a girl."

Kiba and Chouji landed, as if as planned, right next to Sakura with their face in the dirt. Asuma shook his head as he approached the three genin and said, "Why didn't you two at least try to help your teammate with her opponent?"

"Because..." Kiba said as he turned himself over, "You kept blocking us."

"Nonsense; a good ninja knows how to recognize openings and take advantage of them. You could have used a Replacement jutsu and gone to attack Kurenai-sensei, who would've been forced to drop her genjutsu, and you would've had slightly better odds," Asuma countered. "Instead, you let yourselves be split up and defeated. Based on teamwork alone, we could fail you right here and now, but that wouldn't help any of you, so we're going to do some teamwork exercises." In a flash, Kiba, Chouji, and Sakura had chakra cuffs on their arms, binding the three of them together. "For the next week, the three of you will be living together. Eat together, sleep together, live together. Obviously, this would not work if I couldn't trust the three of you, but I believe I can. The point is to get you three to be used to each other and build up trust; without that, none of your missions will ever go right."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, Asuma-sensei," Sakura said, "but what about showering?"

"Easy. Go outside the house you'll be residing in and hose yourselves down in your clothes. Wash yourselves and your clothes at the same time; this will happen on some missions more than others, so think of this as training as well," Kurenai said.

Kiba nodded and spoke up. "Is there anything else we should do while we're doing this?"

"Yes, Kiba. Obviously," Kurenai answered, "you'll be here for normal training, though obviously our exercises are going to have to be modified given your current situation. I expect all of you to behave appropriately. In the house is a list of rules that are to be followed, such as shower and eating times, but it also includes etiquette rules. It's important to understand how to behave in a socially-acceptable fashion."

"Will I be able to eat as much as I need to?" Chouji asked.

"To an extent," Asuma said. "Your dad has given me permission to cut back the amount of food you eat for this specific exercise. It will still be more than the average ninja, but not as much as you're accustomed to. Also, no potato chips."

"Aww..." Chouji responded. "Guess I've got no choice..."

Kurenai shook her head. "You always have a choice: either obey the rules, or quit. It's quite simple, really."

"Well, I'm not about to quit!" Kiba shouted, and the other two echoed him.

"Excellent. Let's go to your new house," Asuma said as he led the way.

The jaws of all three genin dropped as they arrived at the house they were to be staying in. Sakura was the first to speak up and said, "The Fourth's manor!?"

"Indeed, Sakura," Kurenai responded. "This is the place that used to belong to the Fourth Hokage, and was built just after he became jonin. Of course, there were many renovations as he progressed, and when he became Hokage the Third commissioned that it be completely redone to look like a home fit for a Hokage."

"Wow," Kiba breathed. "But, isn't this... what's the word...?"

"'Sacrilege'?" Chouji offered.

"Yeah! That," Kiba said. "The Fourth died to save us from the Fox, so why should anyone get to use anything that he owned?"

"It's not really about that. He didn't have a lot of furniture that he owned himself; most was donated from the Third Hokage. The furniture that he did own is in rooms that are currently off-limits. Which reminds me," Kurenai said, "there are places that no one, save the Hokage and any family members, is allowed to go. That has always been the rule, and thankfully, no genin has ever been foolish enough to try."

"Why, sensei?" Chouji asked. "And have there been genin who've been tried in the same way that we are?"

"Yes and no," Asuma answered as they began walking up to the door. "Cleaning the Fourth's house is a D-rank mission assigned directly by the Hokage himself, so once a week a genin team comes in and cleans the house. Why? I don't know, but I suppose it's respectful to the Fourth's memory."

They opened the door and saw that the genin teams had done a good job; only a thin layer of dust rested on the surfaces. The furniture, though old, still looked like they were in prime condition. The hum of the refrigerator told them that electricity was still running to the house, and probably water and other utilities. There was a large painting of the Fourth Hokage in the living room, in which he was depicted as if in the middle of a battle, swinging a kunai while the other hand held several shuriken. On the ground in front of him lay a unique kunai with three prongs and a paper with a seal attached to it.

"Wow, the Fourth Hokage must have been awesome!" Kiba exclaimed.

Asuma nodded and replied, "He was, Kiba. I was just a kid at the time, but I got to see him in battle once. Nothing could touch him."

They stood reverently in front of a picture before they moved into the kitchen. The counter tops and floor were clean and well-polished. From there they had a view of what must have been the Fourth's personal training ground, though it was so clean it hardly resembled one. Kurenai motioned to a book on the wooden table and said, "Everything you need has been supplied. Here's the list of rules. Memorize them and put them into practice. Listen, you're being paid for this mission, as this is your first official mission as a team, so do well. We'll see you three tomorrow at the same time." With that, they disappeared.

Sakura, whose right hand was free to move, was the first to open the book. "Okay, it looks like we have a map to the place, though it's incomplete. The incomplete parts must be the restricted areas."

Kiba looked over at it and nodded. "Yeah. Who's up for exploration?"

"We might as well get it over with," Chouji said. "The faster we memorize where all the rooms are, the easier it will be to pass this test." His stomach growled and he moaned, "Man, I wish I had some chips..."

"Well," Sakura said, "you don't, so let's just focus on exploring."

"Alright..." Chouji mumbled as they began to roam through the house.

…

Ino, in the meantime, found herself wishing she could have a long shower as she fought off what seemed to be a legion of snakes that Anko would throw out at her to try and capture her. She never liked snakes to begin with, aside from the harmless garden variety, and the creepiness of the woman who was attacking her made it worse. To top it off, she had no idea where Kakashi was hiding and panic was beginning to set in. Shino hadn't lasted long, and Sasuke had fallen as well. She didn't know why, but she knew that her teachers were toying with her, and her anger at that was the only thing that kept her going. Without her teammates, she had no chance to use her Mind Transfer jutsu to take control of Anko and go after Kakashi, so she was forced to use what little else she knew to last as long as she could. Eventually, Ino found herself bound to a wooden post along with Sasuke and Shino, and she muttered about unfair teachers as Kakashi came out of hiding.

"Pathetic!" Anko shouted. "Kakashi, let's just flunk them! I'd have an easier time training five-year-old kids from Rock Village than these!" Three snakes lashed out at the teens and stopped inches shy of biting them in their heads.

"Relax, Anko," Kakashi warned. "Is that how a jonin acts?"

"No. I'm not being serious, but I do want to run them through the basics of teamwork," Anko muttered.

Kakashi nodded and said, "There will be enough time for that. First, it's lunchtime." He pulled five bento boxes seemingly out of nowhere and, after the genin were released and given their boxes, they began to eat. "So, let's get to know each other better. Ino, how about you?"

"Well," Ino began, "I'm Yamanaka Ino. I'm good at my family jutsu, though I'll admit that I have a lot of work to do to catch up as far as the rest of my skills go. I want to become a better ninja than I was going to become before the Academy test, so that I can protect those close to me. I like flowers, my family and friends, and spring rain. I dislike my former self."

"I am Aburame Shino. I like bugs. I dislike things that kill bugs. I hope to take over leadership of my clan one day, though I hope it to be in the distant future," Shino said.

Sasuke sighed and said, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I'm good at fire-style jutsu, but bad at stopping genjutsu. I like my team, and I dislike murderers and other lawbreakers. I want to settle some family issues and restart my clan once I turn twenty-one."

Ino had to fight the fluttering in her stomach when Sasuke said the last part. She had noticed a change in Sasuke's overall attitude over the past several days: while he was normally angry-looking, now he would be optimistic and hopeful; he used to brood, but now he appeared more thoughtful and, as a result, dignified. She had asked him what had happened, but got a withering look followed by a shot of the clan symbol on his back as he walked away, so she knew that the old him was still there. 'Still, he's changed a lot, and for the better. We need to get stronger as a team if we're going to be able to help him,' Ino thought.

Kakashi nodded. "I am Hatake Kakashi. I like solitude, I dislike crowds and cowards, and my hobbies include reading... and torture with electric shock." He said all of this while smiling, though only Anko could tell more easily than just watching his visible eye, and as he made an electric spark jump from one finger to another the kids became visibly nervous.

"Mitarashi Anko's the name. I like dango, and I hate traitors with an extreme passion. My former job, which is also a hobby, was Torture and Interrogation, but I also enjoy interior decorating. I plan on recovering the Snake summon scroll for the Leaf." Anko pulled out a box of dango and popped one in her mouth.

"..." None of the genin had anything that they could say in response, so they just looked at each other with a 'We're doomed!' look.

"Now then," Kakashi said as he put his bento box down and stood up, "let's get this show on the road." Lightning danced across his right hand, which made the three teens jump up and begin running for dear life- or, rather, for the purpose of training.

…

"Gah!" a voice next to Naruto rang out as the young swordsman fell. Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin as he realized that the scenery around him had changed drastically. Whereas before they were in their training field with their two teachers, Team Ten found themselves in a village not unlike their own, and yet drastically different. There were no power lines, the buildings looked older, and the people in the streets were dressed far unlike they did. Swords were flashing through the air as the chaos ensued. Men fell to each others swords as the two sides fought fiercely, but more men kept appearing and it looked like the battle would never end.

"Saito-sensei, why are they fighting?" Hinata asked.

Saito sighed and said, "Why do we humans ever fight? Power, land, money, honor, you name it. Different people fight for different reasons. They, specifically, are fighting on behalf of their respective governments. This is a civil war, one that is believed to have occurred long before the Sage of Six Paths appeared, though there's no definitive evidence for or against; around the time of the Sage, the whole world was at war, and many documents were lost. Anyone, one faction represented the current power of that land, the 'shogun', and the other represented the ancient power, the emperor. The emperor, with support from overseas, was trying to bring about needed reforms, but the shogunate was adamant about remaining isolated from outside influence. In the end, the emperor's men won, and it ushered a new era of peace and prosperity for that land... for a time, anyway." A man fell one way and his head fell another way in front of Saito, though he appeared unfazed. "We truly are foolish creatures. No matter how hard we work for peace, force is needed to maintain it, and we are always ready to come up with the most inane reasons to preserve the 'peace'. If only we could all swear to be one people and not attack each other, we could discard all of our weapons and live in true peace."

"That would not be troublesome, sensei, but it's not feasible," Shikamaru said as he reflexively dodged an incoming sword strike, though it would have passed through him as harmlessly as it would harmfully through the guy behind him. "You just said that people are always ready to fight."

"And that's why we ninja exist," Yuugao responded. "We may say that it's to protect our families, but it's because we're so bloodthirsty that we need to protect those who cannot fight."

Naruto looked thoughtful as he asked, "Then why even show us this?"

"This is but a preview, Naruto... a preview of our fate," Saito explained. "Wars will never end, and you need to see what it really looks like. The movies don't come close to capturing the gruesome reality of a battlefield. Also, there is one person in particular I want you three to see." Just as he said this, several people flew past them and collapsed on the ground. In front of them stood a short man wearing a red hakama. His eyes seemed to glow golden and promised death to anyone who stood against him. Sheathing his sword, he then got into a stance that seemed rather odd to the three genin. Behind them stood a man wearing a blue hakama with dark blue triangles on his sleeves. His sword was raised as he stood sideways, and it was turned parallel with the ground, held steady by both the left hand that held the handle and the right hand that seemed to keep the blade levitated perfectly between the thumb and other fingers. Immediately they charged each other, as fast as any ninja that Naruto had seen, and began dueling. Their signature moves clashed against each other, but that was the last that they saw the two swords clearly defined as they slashed, stabbed, and parried each other. It was clear after several minutes that it was a draw, and both men disappeared from the battle as the genjutsu was canceled.

"That was insane!" Naruto exclaimed. "Saito-sensei, are you sure that this is before the Sage? They moved as fast as a jonin!"

"I'm certain, Naruto," Saito responded. "Those two men were the best of the best among their particular groups, and they certainly could stand their ground against any of our jonin. That's the sort of extreme that physical training regimens of that time could take you, but obviously your size had a lot to do with how fast you were. In the second man's case, the superior speed of his sword style and his training regimen made up for his larger size. The smaller man had more variation in his strikes and natural speed, but his style had more power than speed, with the exception of the attack you just saw. They were among the few professional swordsmen to survive that era and see the peace that reigned."

"Do you know who they were, Saito-sensei?" Shikamaru asked.

Saito smiled and said, "Yes, but where would the fun be in just telling you? Surely you're smart enough to be able to do your own research?"

"Hmph... troubles-" was all Shikamaru got out before finding a blade resting against his neck.

"You were saying?" Saito said from behind Shikamaru. All three genin had blinked and he'd disappeared from in front of them to behind the lazy Nara.

"Uh, nothing, Saito-sensei!" Shikamaru immediately shouted.

Saito, who was still smiling, slipped his kunai back into his pouch and patted Shikamaru on his head. "Excellent. Now, then," he said as he started walking back to where Yuugao was standing, "how is your chakra control practice coming, Naruto?"

"Pretty good, sensei," Naruto responded. "It's still a work in progress, but it's becoming easier."

"Good. Hinata, how goes your Gentle Fist training?" Saito asked as he took the sword that Yuugao was holding out.

"A little better. For some reason Father has stopped having me spar with my sister and cousin, focusing instead on simply allowing me to practice on my own," Hinata said.

Saito balanced the sword on the side of his finger, smiling as he did so, then looked at Shikamaru. "And you, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru cleared his throat to force down the reflexive 'troublesome' comment and said, "I sleep a lot more thanks to your exercise, and Dad is watching me like a hawk now."

As she heard her name called by Saito, Hinata activated her Byakugan and scanned Shikamaru. "His chakra stores are larger. Not by much, but the training is working."

"That's all I need to know," Saito responded as suddenly the genjutsu went back up. "Don't think about trying to break it; you'll just tire yourself." He disappeared into the crowd of fighting men. "And don't get hit."

Immediately, all three of them pulled out a kunai for defense and were on alert. Hinata was the first to speak, saying "They all look real, even with my Byakugan; it's impossible to find sensei."

"Nothing's impossible, Hinata," Naruto retorted. "We just need to let him come to us, and we'll get him- ow!" His arm yanked back as one of the men slashed their sword at him and made a shallow cut on the upper part of his arm. "I found him!" He jumped and attacked the man, but went through it and fell to the ground. "What?"

Shikamaru turned around when Naruto had attacked the one man, only to receive a cut on his back. He turned around and lashed out with Shadow Possession without thinking, only to have his shadow go past both that man and several behind him. "How can these illusions attack us while we can't touch them?"

This kept up for several minutes as the kids tried to dodge every sword slice, but soon their clothes were sliced up pretty badly. All three had shed their jackets and were breathing heavily. Their sweat mixed with blood and created a scent that would have an Inuzuka lose control as their hunting instincts took over. Shikamaru had lost more of his hair, Naruto was practically bare-chest, and Hinata's arms were covered with shallow wounds. Shikamaru, however, looked strangely calm as he spoke to the other two, saying "I think I've figured out this guy's pattern. Hinata, can you use Rotation?"

"I think I can," Hinata said. "I'll be down for the count, but at least we'll have exposed him."

"Good. Naruto, do you have your tag?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, I've been holding onto it, like you said," Naruto answered as he pulled out a kunai whose handle was wrapped up with a piece of paper.

"Get ready..." Shikamaru muttered as he made the hand signs for Shadow Possession. "Wait for it..." His eyes darted back and forth as people continued to fall around him. "Wait..." One came through the crowd and slashed at them with his sword. "Now!" Hinata began to spin, forcing her chakra out of every point in her body, creating a blue shield around them. The man was forced backward by the force of the chakra shield, and as it faded he found that he couldn't move. Shikamaru's shadow had captured him and held him still. Naruto threw the kunai at the man and hit him in the shoulder. One second after it hit, the tag exploded and the genjutsu was canceled.

"Bravo!" Saito said as he clapped for them. "You remembered my advice, so you found another way out. Shikamaru, your leadership is most commendable, and I'm impressed you had enough chakra to keep my Shadow Clone in place long enough for the kunai to take effect. Keep up the good work. I'd congratulate Hinata on a successful Rotation, but she's unconscious, so I'll wait. Naruto, good idea on keeping an explosive kunai on you. Tell me, are you interested in seals?"

"I don't know. I bet I could make a lot of copies of it if I got a little time to study and practice, but I don't know if I could take up seals as a specialty," Naruto responded. "Do you know anything about seals?"

"Not really; just the basic sealing scroll for storing provisions and the explosive kunai," Saito said. "I could get in contact with someone who knows a lot about it; they could test you and see if you have any aptitude for it. Mind you, you'll have even less free time, but if you can commit to it I bet you'd become a seal master, just like a certain Hokage."

"A certain- oh! You mean the Fourth!?" Naruto exclaimed, now really excited. "Sure, sign me up!"

"Later. First we need to get all three of you to the hospital," Saito said as he handed the sword back to Yuugao.

"Sensei, why isn't there any blood on your sword?" Shikamaru asked. "If our wounds are real, then surely there must be blood on the blade."

"Simple, Shikamaru: Look at the ground around you," Saito said, pointing to the field around them. In a circle, the exact distance from Hinata that the chakra had expanded, many red-stained kunai lay on the ground. "To put it in plain terms, I hid the kunai attacks within the sword strikes of the people depicted in the genjutsu. Why, then, did I use a Shadow Clone to attack you as well? To throw you off, if you had come up with an inferior plan. Fortunately for you, you didn't, so you passed this test." With that, the lot of them left for the hospital, with Yuugao insisting on carrying Hinata, to tend to the many cuts and bruises that the genin had.

* * *

**AN:**

_ This is probably the make-or-break chapter for a lot of people since it represents a total reversal from canon!Sasuke and an increased amount of attention to the Rookie Nine (Team Gai will get increased coverage later as they become more important to the overall storyline). Please take a moment to send an honest review about the story and its direction so far, and thank you for taking the time to read this work._


	7. Chapter 7

The week that Sakura, Chouji, and Kiba spent in the Fourth's mansion was, as far as Sakura was concerned, the most challenging week she'd ever endured. Chouji sweat a lot, making Sakura carry a can of air freshener wherever she went, while Kiba would complain that the scent was too strong. Kiba had some peculiar habits that Sakura found annoying, and Sakura's commanding personality rubbed Kiba the wrong way; Chouji didn't really care because he was the one constantly reminding Kiba and Sakura that the point was to develop teamwork. So they literally did everything together, though obviously they had to wear blindfolds when they showered or relieved themselves (Sakura was the most thankful for this, though Kiba swore that he'd never think of her like that, his second part of the Academy test notwithstanding). By the end of the week, though, they were fairly comfortable enough with each other that the next test by Asuma and Kurenai proved somewhat less of a challenge. Surprisingly, they were made to continue the upkeep of the Fourth's mansion, complete with the handcuffs, until the month had finished. Of course, they had no idea that Asuma always had a Shadow Clone watching to make sure they didn't try to get into restricted areas, and Sakura's spray-deodorant would mask his scent from Kiba's nose.

Ironically, it was Akamaru who found his way into one of the locked rooms, near the end of the month. It was on the top floor, and it led to the master bedroom. How he got in there, even Kiba didn't know, but they found him laying on the otherwise undisturbed bed. The plastic cover had a thick layer of dust on it, well, right before Akamaru leaped up onto it; the dust had spread, making all four of them sneeze repeatedly, until Sakura turned a fan on and aimed it out of a window to blow the dust out.

It finally cleared up enough for Sakura to comment between sneezes, saying "Akamaru, what are you doing in here? We're going to get into big trouble!"

Akamaru simply barked once, which irritated Kiba (not as much as the dust did), who said, "Akamaru, I don't care if you wanted to find a place to take a nap! Get off that bed and let's get out of here before Asuma-sensei or Kurenai-sensei show up!"

"Oh man!" Chouji said. "Can you believe all the stuff stored up here?" He saw a book lying open on a nightstand and walked over to it, dragging Sakura and Kiba as he often did. "Hey, this last page is dated October 10th! 'I'm sorry I have to do this, my love, but I have no choice. I can't ask anyone else to make this sacrifice if I'm not willing to do the same.' Hey, was the Hokage engaged or something?"

Sakura thought back to the history lessons and shook her head. "No, I don't remember him having anyone; he was single up until the day he died."

"But this is his handwriting!" Kiba objected. "See, only the Fourth wrote the letter 'mi' that way! I saw it once in the Hokage's office, on a document he signed!"

"But that means that what we're taught was wrong!" Sakura exclaimed. "Why?"

"Man, if only Shikamaru was here..." Chouji mumbled. "He'd have figured this out quickly."

"Well, he's not here, so we have to do the figuring out. But we can't tell anyone!" Kiba retorted. "If word got around, we'd probably end up in jail for trespassing!"

Sakura nodded and said, "Then we need to do this like a ninja. Stealth, quick information gathering, no evidence of intrusion. This means that Akamaru is not allowed in here anymore, the window has to stay closed," and she kept on talking as she took down the fan and closed the window, "and we have to figure out as much as we can in the little time we have left. I'd suggest that we fan out, but given the handcuffs that wouldn't work." She gingerly turned back to where the previous entry would've been, but groaned in frustration. "There's nothing there but a seal!"

Kiba leaned over and sniffed it. "Blood... this is a blood seal, used for the most sensitive of secrets. If anyone tried to unseal it, it would either simply not work, or it would burst into flames. It looks like whatever is written in the previous pages is Hokage-level security. 'For Hokage's Eyes Only' sort of deal. Makes sense, since this seems to be Namikaze-sama's journal."

Sakura looked over at the closet. "Let's see if anything is in there. Try to step as lightly as possible; we don't want to leave footprints."

They nodded and tiptoed over to the closet, then opened it. Inside there were many sets of clothes, all covered in clear plastic to protect from dust. What surprised them was that, while on one side there were clothes that clearly belonged to the Hokage, including several cloaks that he was so famous for wearing, but on the other side of the rather spacious closet were clothing that clearly belonged to a woman; a kunoichi, no less, as there were jonin vests and other ninja attire in the front. Leafing through the clothing, which ranged from business to formal, public to private, the three couldn't help but feel that there was something seriously amiss.

"Uh, Kiba..." Sakura asked, "is there any chance that the Fourth was a...?"

"No way!" Kiba shouted, only to be shushed by the other two. Lowering his voice, he continued. "Not the Fourth! These are too small for him, anyway! He must have been married. That's the only possible explanation-" Akamaru began barking and Kiba whirled his head around. "Asuma-sensei is at the gate!?" All three of them scrambled out as fast as they could, doing their best to make sure the room looked like it hadn't been disturbed, and ran downstairs as fast as they could, only to realize that they were covered in dust. Now really panicked, they ran into the bathroom and showered and dressed in fresh clothes (though they did still maintain privacy protocol, mainly by being blindfolded). Akamaru, meanwhile, sat at the foot of the stairs and barked happily as Asuma walked in.

"Hey, Akamaru. Where's the team?" Asuma asked. Akamaru barked again and Asuma sighed, remembering that unlike Kuromaru, Akamaru wasn't able to speak the human language yet. "Never mind. I'll find them." He searched the kitchen and living room, but it was only as he heard stomps did he realize that they were upstairs. As Asuma looked over at the stairs, he saw three nearly panicked teenagers rush down the stairs. "Alright, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Asuma-sensei. We were just cleaning and got really dirty, so we needed to take a shower, but Akamaru told us you were on your way, so we had to hurry," Sakura said quickly, practically out of breath from her panic.

Knowing how she was improving physically, Asuma could tell that there was more to the story than that, but he decided to let it slide for now. He'd been training the previous day, so he hadn't left a Shadow Clone to watch them, and now he was regretting it. "Alright. Are you all caught up in your duties here, then?"

"Yes, sensei!" all three replied.

"Good. Let's run drills. Report to the training ground," Asuma said as he turned around and left.

When the door closed, Kiba had Akamaru watch as the teacher left, and only after Akamaru couldn't see or smell him anymore did all three let out a sigh of relief. "Man, that was too close!" Kiba said. "I thought for sure he was going to push the issue."

"I'm not sure he bought it entirely," Sakura responded, "though it was the truth; we were just cleaning in an area we weren't supposed to clean."

Chouji frowned as he looked up at the second floor. "We need to do something to erase the footprints we left without disturbing the plastic or anything else in the room. If we don't, and they go check it, we're in REALLY deep trouble."

"Do any of you know any Earth-element jutsu, or maybe Wind?" Sakura asked. "Dust is dirt, so maybe-"

"Wind would shift the plastic, and using Earth would just clump up the dust and the room would look like it had been cleaned," Chouji responded. "I can try my Partial Expansion jutsu and shake the room with my hand; that might cause the dust to shift and become more uniform."

"Or it could break a hole in the floor, not to mention knocking glass off of the mantle, pictures off of walls, things like that," Kiba retorted. "We're in trouble. Big trouble..."

Later, at the training field, as they finished their warm-ups, Kiba asked, "When are we going to learn important ninja skills, like infiltration skills or assassination techniques?"

Kurenai, who was watching over the group at that moment, said "When you've improved in the basics enough to use them without thinking. Infiltration and assassination, both of which require stealth, are important mission types, but only jonin ever go on these sorts unless they're a chunin assisting a jonin or ANBU."

"Oh... that bites," Kiba muttered. "Is there anything new that we can learn? I mean, our teamwork is really improving; in fact, we'd be able to more quickly upkeep the house if we weren't chained together, since we know who can do what well by now." He rubbed his wrists where the cuffs had been as he spoke.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow, but then contemplated it and nodded. "Alright. Sakura, Chouji, fall in!" Immediately the two ran over and joined Kiba. "Do you really want to learn something new today?"

"Yes, sensei!" all three said.

Kurenai smiled and walked over to a set of trees that were nearby. Looking up one, she asked, "Do you know how to climb a tree?"

"Uh, of course, sensei. A tree like that might need some equipment to get to the first branch, but it shouldn't be too difficult," Chouji responded, though he didn't like the thought of climbing, period.

"Perhaps, but what if I told you that all you needed was your feet?" Kurenai asked.

Kiba looked up and whistled. "I don't know, sensei. Akamaru might be able to get up because of his nails, but not us, even if we got a running start."

Shaking her head, Kurenai began walking up the tree, calm and quiet as a cat. Stepping onto the first branch, she looked down and smirked. "How about now?"

"Wow! How did you do that, sensei?" Chouji exclaimed.

"Is it with chakra?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly, Sakura," Kurenai responded as she walked back down. "You see, you can use your chakra to adhere to the surface of the tree. However, there is a catch." One foot suddenly slipped down and hung there. "Too little chakra, and you fall." Putting her foot back on the tree, she launched off the tree, leaving a small blast mark where she had been standing, and landed in front of them. "Too much, and... well, that happens. Start practicing, and see if you can figure out the trick. Use a kunai to track your progress, and, as a tip, a running start would probably help."

Sakura, already knowing how she was going to apply this skill, began trying to get up the tree. Soon all three were trying and failing. Kiba would often be repelled by using too much chakra, while the other two would slip, but by evening Sakura had made it to the top, while Chouji and Kiba weren't nearly up to the first branch. Shouting down, Sakura said "Your body knows how much is just right. Go with that amount, and keep it constant so you'll always have adhesion!"

Kiba nodded and took a moment to figure out how much was right, then started up the tree again. He surprised himself by getting halfway up before, in his excitement, he applied too much chakra and exploded away from the tree. He managed to make a scratch before falling away, and caught a sturdy branch to keep him from falling a great height.

Chouji had almost the same sort of success, but he slipped and only the branches below slowed his fall. Slamming onto the ground, he groaned out of pain, but was smiling. "That was awesome..." he muttered as he lost consciousness. Suffice to say, training was called as they took Chouji to the hospital.

…

Sakura, Ino, and Hinata sat at a table in a café as they discussed how their training had gone over the past month. "Kakashi-sensei and Anko-sensei are insane!" Ino was saying, sipping a root beer float between sentences. "Kakashi zaps us with his lightning chakra when we even slow down, and Anko chases us around with those snakes coiled around her arms!" All three girls shivered at the thought.

Sakura took a sip of her water and said, "Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei drive us pretty hard too. We've been primarily doing team-building exercises the whole month. Kurenai has been getting me to eat more so that I'll have more energy to train, which is fine, but it's nuts. I feel like I've gained ten pounds every time I finish a meal."

"W-well, our sensei can be a bit odd as well, but we've been learning a lot about m-many different things," Hinata said as she sipped her iced tea. "Saito-sensei has me working on a long-term p-project, though he insisted that I work on it whenever I f-feel like it and that he w-wasn't pressuring me to do it: he thinks I can develop my own variation of my family's fighting style. I'll admit that I've b-been thinking about it, s-since I'm n-not good at the traditional style, but he said not to push myself until I've g-gained enough experience and c-confidence."

"What about you and Naruto?" Sakura asked. "Since team placements, I hardly see him anymore, and rumor has it you two are pretty close now."

Hinata struggled for a moment with embarrassment that rumors were being spread about her and (for a moment) anger at Sakura for seeming to want more ammunition to abuse Naruto with, but the embarrassment won out and she said, "N-no, n-nothing's going on b-between m-me and Naruto..."

"Really?" Ino asked. "Your face looks like a cherry now. He hasn't done anything to you, has he?!"

"No, of course not!" Hinata blurted out. "We're on the same team, so we need to be helping each other out!" A moment of time passed before Hinata realized that she'd yelled, and she began to shrink back into her coat. "I-I-I m-mean..."

"Awesome! We got Hinata to shout about something!" Sakura shouted, giving Ino a high-five before hugging the surprised Hyuuga. "Your confidence really is growing! We're proud of you, Hinata!"

"P-proud of me?" Hinata asked; she hadn't heard that outside of her team, so it was surprising.

"Yeah, of course, silly. You're a ninja now; you need to be confident in yourself. We don't want to see you get hurt or anything like that," Ino said. "We girls need to stick together and encourage each other, right?"

"Right!" Sakura responded.

Hinata paused for a moment, but then nodded. "R-right!"

"Then it's settled! We're meeting here on our day off to talk about stuff, missions notwithstanding," Ino declared. "The Genin Sisterhood has officially begun!" They raised their glasses and lightly clashed them together before taking a drink.

Sakura put her cup down and, after swallowing her water, she said "Listen, as the first order of business, we need to recognize our sister, Hinata, who is finally beginning to overcome her fears. Here, here!" They raised their glasses again. "Second order is something interesting I found out a few days ago." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "My team has been cleaning the Fourth's mansion for the past month, but in the process of doing so we found out some interesting details. According to an unsealed page of his journal, the Fourth mentioned a 'beloved', which means that he was at least in love with someone, if not married. There were also women clothing in his closet, which suggests either marriage or at least engagement."

"WHAAAAA-!?" Ino screamed before being muffled by Sakura.

The scream had attracted the attention of everyone in the place, which made Sakura chuckle sheepishly and say, "Sorry, we're just discussing the latest movie actors." Many in the crowd rolled their eyes as they went back to their food, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Ino and saying, "Shh! The LAST thing we need right now is attention!"

Ino shook off Sakura's hand and whispered, "Alright, but this is the craziest news ever! The only thing that would beat it is if the Fourth had never really died and was doing something like trying to destroy the Rock Village from the inside out, or that Kakashi-sensei is a cross-dresser in his spare time, or something like that!"

"And it gets weirder," Sakura continued. "Every other page has a blood seal on it, so only a blood-relative of his could look at what was written."

"But everyone knows that he had no relatives," Hinata said with a confused expression. "He was an orphan whose parents were killed during the Second Great Ninja War."

"Like how everyone knew that the Fourth was single?" Sakura countered.

"But if he had any relatives, surely they would've shown up for his funeral," Ino countered, "or at least come to collect whatever he left behind."

"Yeah, but the house is still fully furnished, even with the furniture that the Hokage himself owned," Sakura said. "Something else is weird about the journal entry. He mentioned something about making a sacrifice, something that he could not ask anyone else to make."

"Wouldn't his death be sacrifice enough?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, but something is really bothering me about how it was worded. 'I'm sorry I have to do this, my love, but I have no choice. I can't ask anyone else to make this sacrifice if I'm not willing to do the same.' If he was sacrificing himself, wouldn't he had just said 'to sacrifice himself'?"

"That implies that something else was the sacrifice, or at least the main part of the sacrifice," Hinata noted. "The Fourth did die, though they never did find his body. They said something about the chakra of the Fox being poisonous, burning the skin after even a split-second of contact."

"Yeah, several bodies were never recovered, primarily of scouts who had been in its way when it appeared," Sakura confirmed. "Others suffered severe chakra burns just from being close to it. It's possible that he launched himself from atop the toad boss, Gamabunta, with some sort of skill that he knew would kill it and used all of his chakra to initiate it."

Ino sighed. "We're chasing 'what-if' scenarios, and that's not going to get us anywhere. We need to gather more information, but where can we start?"

"Well, I can have Akamaru try to enter other locked rooms, and since we know how to walk up trees we should be able to avoid leaving any evidence of our being there. Ino, can you check the archives in the Tower? Maybe there are reports from eyewitnesses that could give us another clue. Hinata, can you ask any of the older ninja who were there that night? Your pull as the Hyuuga heiress will give you an edge, and you need to build your confidence even more. I'll go check the hospital records, at least as much as I possibly can. I heard they put chakra seals in the walls to prevent hostile ninja from causing havoc," Sakura suggested. 'How I'm going to do it, I have no idea, but I'll figure something out.'

"Works for me," Ino responded. "The secretary owes me a favor anyway."

"I s-suppose I c-could do that," Hinata said, though she didn't feel very confident.

"It's settled then. We'll discuss what we found out next week, alright?" Sakura asked. The other two nodded, and she nodded back and said, "Okay. Next topic..."

…

Meanwhile, Naruto had invited the other guys to eat with him. Only Sasuke and Kiba accepted, as the other three had 'pressing issues' elsewhere. This was fine with Naruto, though he vaguely wondered why Chouji hadn't come as he downed his first bowl of ramen. "Saito-sensei is weird, but he's really awesome! He can make more Shadow Clones than any other jonin, I'll bet!"

"He must have a lot of chakra, then," Kiba noted, "if he's able to make more than one. I heard from Asuma-sensei that it splits your available chakra in half, so being able to make eight means that he'd have to be able to function in battle with only one-eighth of his overall amount of chakra. He said I'd probably never learn it, though I didn't need to because of my family's Beast Clone jutsu."

Sasuke nodded and nibbled on his ramen. "Yeah, I'd only seen my older brother ever make one, and he was a prodigy in his class. I wonder if Saito-sensei could fight toe-to-toe with Itachi..."

Naruto and Kiba gawked at Sasuke, clearly surprised at Sasuke talking at all, let alone talking about his older brother without the venomous hate that he used to have. Not wanting to step on any toes, Kiba said, "Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei have been teaching our team how to use our chakra to walk up trees. It's a pretty useful way to get around, actually."

"Wow, that's awesome! I gotta get Saito-sensei to show me that!" Naruto exclaimed before draining his second bowl. "Another one, please!"

"Geeze, Naruto, how are you able to afford so many?" Kiba asked. Sasuke, for his part, tried not to watch him eat so that he wouldn't get sick.

Grinning as a third bowl was set before him, Naruto said between bites, "Well, Yuugao-sensei is monitoring my diet very strictly. Somehow she's able to buy me vegetables and fruits and other stuff with the stipend I get from the Hokage, plus what I make from the few D-rank missions that Saito-sensei accepts for us. Otherwise I'd have to wait for Iruka-sensei to treat me to a ramen lunch."

"What do you mean, 'somehow'?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shrugged and responded, "Well, until team placement I did all of my shopping for myself, but I'd always have enough for only packages of instant ramen when the shopkeeper rang my food up, even though often the people in front of me spent the same amount for far more than I'd pick up. It's not a big deal, but Yuugao-sensei says that I'm as short as I am for that reason."

"What!?" Kiba shouted, then slammed his hands on the table. "That's inhumane! How can they do that to anyone? I know you used to pull pranks and stuff, but none of it was ever to cause them harm!"

"No, no, Kiba, it's alright. Yuugao-sensei is doing my shopping for me, now; in fact, I had to get a new refrigerator since she started- oh yeah!" Naruto snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Guess what? I'm living in a new apartment now! It's closer to the training fields and the Hokage Tower, at the northern part of the village. It's a lot nicer than my old apartment, which is good since the manager at the old one didn't bother coming to fix my pipes or anything like that. The manager at the new apartment is a nice old lady who comes by to help me cook and teach me how to clean more effectively. It's awesome!"

Sasuke and Kiba frowned, thinking 'What has he been hiding behind that smile all these years?' "We're glad to hear that, Naruto," Kiba said while Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I've got a crazy story for you guys." His voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned over and said, "It's about the Fourth Hokage."

Sasuke usually wasn't interested in any of the people who'd held the position, but given the Fourth's fame, he couldn't help but give most of his attention as he continued to eat his ramen. Naruto, for his part, was rapt in his attention; he idolized the Fourth Hokage even more now than before the Academy Exam. "Go on, what did you find out?" Naruto asked.

"Well, our team was assigned to clean his mansion, and it's sort of been our permanent assignment for the past month," Kiba began. "Akamaru found a way into one of the locked rooms- he still won't tell me how he did it." He gave a short glare at his dog, who simply barked, and sighed before continuing. "Anyway, it was the master bedroom. Man, you should have seen the size of the bed, not to mention his closet! But none of that is the best part. We found his diary, which was open to the last entry date: the day he died. All the others had some sort of seal on it, but the last page was an apology to someone about 'making a sacrifice'. We also found woman's clothing in his closet, which means that whoever he was writing it to was his wife, or at least a live-in fiancee."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "... You haven't been sniffing catnip again, have you?"

"Ha, ha, very funny. I'm serious!" Kiba retorted. "Besides, that only happened because I didn't know what it was!"

"Didn't stop you from trying to hoard a bunch of it in your backyard," Naruto commented, snickering. "Man, your mom got so pissed; I'd rather have taken on the Nine-tailed Fox myself instead of her."

"Tell me about it..." Kiba muttered, shuddering at the thought. "She still goes through my stuff, even though that was a good three years ago and I never got addicted to it..." Shaking his head, he said, "Back on topic! Look, I'm dead serious about this; there's no way I'd lie about anything regarding the greatest hero our village has ever had."

"Even if that's true, though," Sasuke interjected, "you have no idea what the whole truth is, or if that was all a setup to see if you would go snooping around."

Kiba buried his face in the palm of his hand and said, "Trust me; I recognize the Fourth's handwriting. It's legitimate. We're going to do some more 'snooping around', as you so delicately put it, to see if we can't figure out what's really going on."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Naruto asked.

Kiba shook his head, saying "I don't know, Naruto. I can't really think of anything for either of you to do, honestly. It's just something I have to do with my team."

Naruto groaned and reached for his bowl, but cut himself on a protruding nail from one of the condiment boxes and jumped back, shouting "Ouch!" as he did. Kiba pulled out a napkin and gave it to Naruto, who held it to the cut while Sasuke called the owner over to make him aware of the nail. After a couple of seconds, Naruto gave the napkin back to Kiba and put a small bandage over the cut. Kiba turned and was about to toss it in the can when his nose caught a vaguely familiar scent and, instead, slipped it into his pocket before turning back to them. "Naruto, are you alright?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, it just stings a bit. It'll heal up shortly," Naruto said, already beginning his third bowl of ramen.

"'Shortly'?" Sasuke probed, his curiosity sparked.

"Yeah." Naruto pulled back the bandage and showed them the 'wound'. It had already closed and all that they could see was a red mark. "It's all healed up already; the bandage was just to catch any extra blood."

Kiba raised an eyebrow, thinking 'Talk about really fast healing...' as he began eating a second bowl of ramen. "Is that normal for you?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Naruto responded. "That's why the only time I ever end up at the hospital is for chakra exhaustion. Even when I once broke one of my leg bones a year ago, it healed up perfectly in only a couple of minutes."

"Naruto, that's not normal!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Do you know how much of an advantage your quick healing rate gives you? Who knows, it may even be a bloodline limit, or at least a genetic trait!"

"Sasuke, this is the first time I think I've ever seen you excited about something," Naruto responded. "But yeah, that would be cool, wouldn't it?"

"We shouldn't jump the kunai, guys," Kiba warned. "The Hokage probably already knows about it. And besides, it's not all flowers and candy living in a clan."

"Yeah..." Sasuke muttered. "There are a lot of rules to follow, and sometimes you get differences between different-minded people, which can end in bloodshed. You're better off on your current path, Naruto."

"I know, Sasuke, but at least I would have a family, even if it was for a short time," Naruto responded with the same tone that Sasuke used.

Kiba could feel the pressure and decided to bail. "Well, it's been fun, but I've got training to do. Catch you guys later." With that, he excused himself to take another look at the blood sample.

"... Not having a family really sucks," Naruto mumbled.

"Yeah..." Sasuke responded in agreement. They looked at each other and saw the pain in each others eyes. All of a sudden, they felt a level of camaraderie that they had never felt before and they smiled at each other. "We're a lot alike, aren't we?"

"We are," Naruto responded. "Kinda like brothers."

Sasuke nodded and grinned. "Brothers. That would be awesome." He put some money down on the table and got up. "Come on, I've gotta tell you something I haven't told anyone but my therapist." Having paid for both his and Naruto's dinner, he dragged the surprised blond out of the diner.

Teuchi, for his part, chuckled in both amusement and endearment as he began to clear their bowls up. "Looks like I've got another nephew. Best find out what his favorite ramen flavor is. Ayame!"

"Yes, Father?" rang out a soft voice from the back of the establishment.

"Start making out a list of ingredients that I need to pick up tomorrow, alright? Our favorite customer has a new friend!" Teuchi ordered as he put the bowls on a cart and wheeled them into the back.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had taken Naruto over to his team's training grounds. Looking around, he sat down in front of the stone pillar he'd previously been tied to, while Naruto sat down in front of the pillar Ino had been tied to. "Alright, we should be able to hold a private conversation here." His face got really serious, which made Naruto pay attention. "Naruto, what do you know about the night of the Uchiha Massacre?"

"The night your family died?" Naruto asked, shocked that Sasuke would even bring it up, let alone voluntarily. "Not much more than the average person. Your brother Itachi went nuts, killed everyone in your family but you, and then went rogue. No one has seen him since. Why do you ask?"

"I thought so. Listen, it's all a lie," Sasuke said in a grave tone, making Naruto's eyes widen in shock. "My brother was framed for the crime."

"How? Everyone knows how strong Itachi was, but the ninja in your family were never slouches, to hear most people talk," Naruto commented. "Even your ancestor, the guy who fought the First for control of the Leaf Village, was really strong; he was probably the strongest member of your clan!"

Sasuke nodded. "That's just it, Naruto. Uchiha Madara is the one who did it!"

"WHAT!? But he can't be! He'd have to be over a hundred years old, at least, and that's impossible for even a civilian!" Naruto objected.

"I don't know how he did it, but he's alive. I don't know why he killed my family, framed my brother, and spared me, but I know that it did happen." Sasuke sighed. "Ino's dad has been helping me come to terms with my family's death, and when he helped me revisit the memory, I noticed something odd about Itachi's voice. It sounded old, not at all like Itachi even when he was in mission mode. In addition to that, his Sharingan looked really weird, something I'd never seen before. I *know* that Itachi is innocent, and I'm going to find him and bring him back, but I'll need your help."

"How can we fight Itachi? We're still genin; he was an ANBU Captain at our age!" Naruto asked.

"We get stronger with our teams. Nine-on-one odds are never pretty, even when the one is really skilled," Sasuke noted. "Even the Fourth, with his signature jutsu, had to take on one ninja at a time in order to win the battles that he did. In addition, he did it to support his teammates, who were fighting elsewhere. His kill record, though impressive, wasn't why he became Hokage; it was because he was a natural leader who knew how to support his team."

"That makes sense," Naruto said in agreement. "But he's probably out there training even harder than we are. We really need to step up our game, if that's the case. We should go see Super-Bushy-Brow-Sensei and see if he can help us train; I hear he's really extreme."

"Sounds like a plan, but how are we going to convince our sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I heard from Iruka-sensei that the teachers plan on doing 'cross-team' training. We can see if we can get Super-Bushy-Brow-Sensei in on it," Naruto responded. "We'll get your brother back, believe it!" The two of them shook on it, and a new brotherhood was formed that moment.


	8. Chapter 8

"Interesting..." the Hokage said as he watched Naruto and Sasuke talk. "Who would've thought that the Namikaze and Uchiha heirs would bond like that? It'll be interesting to see how that pans out, but they could be the strongest pair since Kakashi and Gai."

"But they're both still young," Iruka commented. "They haven't faced any real challenges yet. They have a good goal, if it's to defeat and capture Itachi Uchiha. What does he mean, though, that he thinks Itachi isn't responsible for the deaths of his family? He himself attested to Itachi's guilt, from what I read, after the doctors had calmed him down enough to speak, and he was obsessed with revenge ever since. I'm really confused..."

"The truth can never be silenced forever, apparently, though I truly thought he was breaking mentally when he rushed into my office last, trying to get me to organize a team to recall Itachi," the Hokage noted, reminiscing about the rather humorous scene. "He's still very emotional, but I admit that I like this side of him better. Kakashi's and Anko's training seems to be paying off, which I know Anko will be happy about."

Iruka nodded in agreement. "That's good; she's been a 'special jonin' long enough, in my opinion, but that's not my call." He shrugged. "How do you want to handle the team rotations?"

"Let's wait one more month. I'm intrigued by Team Eight's investigation. It's good training for them, though to be honest I wanted Naruto to find out more about it himself, but Sakura of Team Eight is moderately intelligent. If I sent Team Ten in there, Shikamaru would no doubt figure it all out himself, and there's no fun in that. Let them learn how to handle this... sub-mission," the Hokage responded.

"But all they're doing is cleaning, right?" Iruka asked.

The Hokage nodded. "Indeed, they're cleaning... more than just rooms, though. I wonder how Naruto will respond to knowing about both parts of the secret..."

"The first part will probably come as a total shock, but the second part will no doubt clear up a lot of questions in his mind," Iruka responded. "I hope he can understand why you made the decisions you made."

"Sorry I'm late, sensei!" a new voice rang out from behind the Hokage, who chuckled as he turned to face the newcomer, who was perched on the window sill. "The Red Dawn has really been keeping their heads down, but they're definitely working on gathering their strength."

"No worries, my former student," the Hokage responded with a smile. "What's their current level of strength?"

The man got down and leaned against the wall, his grinning face faded into a serious expression. "They have four members, aside from their leader."

"And I assume Uchiha Itachi is still among them?" the Hokage asked.

"Yeah," the man responded. "He's paired up with a fearsome man from Mist, one of the Swordsmen, in fact. I haven't been able to get near either of them long enough to make contact with Itachi, but it's likely the opportunity will arise soon. I found out their primary objective: to collect the Tailed Beasts, though for what purpose I don't know."

"The Tailed Beasts!?" the Hokage asked, alarmed at the prospect of nine powerful monsters roaming freely about the planet. "How far along are they?"

"That is also unknown, though it's likely that they don't have any right now," the man responded. "My sources in the villages that we know have Jinchuuriki have reported that 'none of (their) weapons have been stolen'. Naruto's going to be a very open target right now, so I'll bet that he's Itachi's target."

The Hokage nodded. "This will provide the opening we need, but we need to separate him from his partner. If he's a swordsman, then he'll need to fight someone good at countering them."

"Long-range would be preferred, since his sword is supposed to eat chakra," the man noted. "If he could be separated from his sword, then surely our teams would have the advantage. We'll need to keep Sasuke away from the battle, for sure; I heard he's still obsessed with revenge."

"Actually, he now seems to believe that Itachi is not responsible, and Inoichi attests to his conviction in this matter," the Hokage corrected.

The man stared at him, then sighed. "That's a relief; we both know what happens to people bent on revenge... that being said, Sasuke still needs to stay away from the battle."

"I disagree; in fact, it may be a better idea to have Sasuke there, for both Sasuke's and Itachi's sakes. Itachi won't kill Sasuke, and won't let his partner do it. If Itachi can be isolated, and Saito's probably the best one to do this, and Sasuke can talk to Itachi, then we can get some issues resolved and possibly even get one of our best ninja since the First Great War back," the Hokage said.

"It's up to you, sensei, but what about Orochimaru? He's after Sasuke for his Sharingan," the man asked.

"Sasuke hasn't unlocked it, and if your spies are to be believed he's not going to try anything until Sasuke unlocks his Sharingan. If we can get Itachi back, then he can deal with Orochimaru with his Mangekyo Sharingan, and it'll be even easier if you and Saito are there to corner him; you know his abilities the best, and Saito's new skill might prove the best way to match him," the Hokage noted.

"New skill? This sounds interesting..." the man said, more to himself than his teacher. "Is it a bloodline limit?"

"He says that he doubts it, since he learned it, but since it's a jutsu similar to the Byakugan and Sharingan, then it's possible that changes were done at the genetic level," the Hokage responded. "I could be wrong, but if he can fight toe-to-toe with Kakashi, then he should be able to handle Orochimaru with a team, and having two Sharingan to back him up would be an advantage."

"Our previous plans have always failed, though. Anko took the brunt of the last attempt," Iruka noted. "Should we really put our best jonin and our sole remaining loyal Sannin in danger to stop the traitor right now?"

"Why not? Dealing with Red Dawn is going to be painful as it is," the Sannin, Jiraiya, responded, "but it'll be more painful if we have a snake poised to strike at our heel."

"Agreed. Jiraiya, when do you think Red Dawn will strike first?" the Hokage asked.

"Likely after the next chunin exam - which is being held here, right? I imagine Orochimaru will strike then, if I know him, with some sort of elaborate setup. He'll want to get to you, sensei, so he'll probably pose as a Kage or other high-ranked dignitary, and he'll likely have some sort of trap that will isolate the two of you together," Jiraiya answered.

The Hokage sighed. "That's too soon... look, Jiraiya, you need to stay in the village, and not just to set up countermeasures. Naruto graduated this year, and he needs family aside from the Ichiraku family and Sasuke."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Sensei, I'm not going to train him or anything. One, he's too young to learn most of my skills, and two, he needs to deal with the Fox, or else the Fox will break him and break out."

"No, Jiraiya. One, he's progressing at an astonishing rate for the amount of effort given to hold him back in the past; two, he's strong enough to deal with the Fox; three, he needs family, and you're the closest thing he has," the Hokage said sternly. "For the sake of your student, at least, spend some time with the boy. He might surprise you; he certainly has me."

Jiraiya sighed; he knew the Hokage would insist on his performing his proper duties to the Namikaze family, so he'd stayed away a long time, but he also knew he would have to deal with this eventually. The Fourth had wanted Jiraiya to look after Naruto, but the older man had two full-time professions that kept him on the road, and he felt that it was no place for a defenseless infant, especially one that was also a Jinchuuriki. Of course, those were excuses for the fact that he had no idea how to deal with children and was always afraid of messing up. His one chance of being a father, he felt, died when Tsunade had gotten married to another man, so he'd left to focus on perfecting his writing style and strengthening his spy network. "Alright. I'm not going to train him, but I suppose there are quite a few things I can teach him," he said, grinning perversely until Iruka was in his face, staring daggers at him.

"I swear, if you do anything to corrupt Naruto, I will personally send for Lady Tsunade and have her deal with you," Iruka warned. He knew that, as a chunin he couldn't do anything to the Sannin, but he also knew from talks with the Hokage that Tsunade loathed Jiraiya's perverse side and would often punish him for it.

The warning produced the desired effect as Jiraiya nervously replied, "Now, now, I didn't say anything about that. There are plenty of basic ninja skills that he can learn while we hang out; chakra control would in fact be one of the best things I can teach him right now, and maybe how to make basic seals."

"Thank you," Iruka said as he backed off. "Lord Hokage, if there's nothing else-"

"Certainly," the Hokage responded. "Have a good evening."

As Iruka left, Jiraiya aimed a sour look at his teacher. "Why'd you have to tell him?"

"Because he cares about Naruto. If he hadn't said anything, you can be sure that I would have, and unlike him I wouldn't have needed the threat of bringing Tsunade out to hunt you down," the Hokage responded, a tone of reproach in his voice. "I may enjoy your novels, but that is nothing for a young man like him to be exposed to, especially since he has a real shot at love. I should hate to hear of your influence, direct or otherwise, souring such a prospect."

"Ha, just like his father," Jiraiya responded, though he clearly heard the threat in his teacher's voice. "Minato always was a lady-killer. Why he ended up falling in love with that kid from Whirlpool, Kushina, I'll never know."

"That's the thing about love: once it clicks, it's hard to make it unclick," the Hokage responded. "They really did fit well together, in my opinion. Seriously, though, all the teams need to get stronger together, especially if Red Dawn is going to pose a threat in the future like you reported."

"It's been harder to track them since Saito returned; his talent in such things was unmatched, though if rumor proves true then even he might not be able to beat the other Red Dawn team. In any case, I'm working on recruiting a couple of S-class rogues from other nations to counter them, though it may be difficult without Saito to turn the latest ones," Jiraiya said.

The Hokage nodded and responded, saying "Perhaps, but you've done it before, so I'm sure you can do it again. Get to work on those countermeasures; you have ten months to come up with something."

"Yes, sensei!" Jiraiya mock-saluted, grinning before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

…

About a month later, nothing had really changed. All the teams were now taking on D-rank missions while still keeping up their same training schedule, so all the teams were being exposed to a new level of intensity. All of them had begun training in wall-walking and were seeing positive results all-around. Naruto, of course, had the most trouble with it, but with Sasuke's and Hinata's help he was able to keep training until he got it down pat. Jiraiya would watch him train from afar, but wasn't sure how to approach him, so he spent most of his time preparing his countermeasures against the Snake Sannin's impending attack. Sakura's efforts were proving to be in vain; Akamaru wouldn't try to get into any of the other rooms, so they were stuck trying to figure out how to get in themselves. Ino and Hinata were making no progress in their efforts either, so the investigation was put on pause while they trained. Team Gai was invited to do personal fitness training with the teams, and rotated the teams in and out as Gai deemed necessary. The man would often note with sadness, whether real or fake (no one could tell), that the teams held so much potential that he wished to devote full-time training to them, but his duties to his own team consumed his available time. As a result of the fitness rounds, all of the genin appreciated their teachers even more; Ino in particular noted that she'd rather be chased by Anko's snakes instead of being pushed beyond her limits by Maito Gai. That being said, everyone saw benefits from the routine and began incorporating it into their training regimens.

Naruto, on another positive note, made friends with Gai's protégé, Rock Lee. The boy was as hyper as Naruto, perhaps even more so, especially in regards to training and his desire to become a ninja. This was, in fact, a needed passion because Lee was born with under-developed chakra coils, which made him completely unable to use jutsu, so he had been taken under Gai's tutelage and learned to utilize chakra in a way that increased his physical power, as a secret part of his fighting style. There are seven major chakra points throughout the body, and when the gate to each is unlocked the person's physical power is dramatically increased, though the strain on the body is incredible. Even Gai, though he knew how to unlock all of the gates, had ever needed to unlock the fourth gate because the damage to the user's body at that point could be permanent. Gai would often stress the importance of opening the gates only in extreme circumstances, and even though Lee understood Gai would continue to do so because of the seriousness of the skill. For normal ninja, this skill is not taught because of its deadliness, but for Lee it was his second ace in the hole. The first was his training weights, which he convinced Naruto to begin using because of the overall benefits. For anyone who is serious about being in top physical shape, weights are worn in wristbands and weight-socks to provide constant training for the wearer. This allows the person to develop muscle power in the normal course of their life, whether actively training or doing the normal routines of everyday life. Of course, the weights have to be increased as the person gets used to using them, and in that lay Lee's great strength: he'd been training with them since Gai began teaching him, and at this point he was wearing a couple hundred pounds of weights on his body. Without the weights, Lee could move as fast as any Leaf jonin and only an active Sharingan or Byakugan could track him. Of course, only Team Gai and Naruto knew of this, so it would continue to be his trump card whenever Lee and his team went up to compete in the Chunin Exam. In preparation, Lee would often spar with Naruto and Sasuke, both of whom he saw as worthy rivals that ranked below only Neji, his teammate.

One such day found Naruto and Lee training together. Lee hummed softly to himself as he did one-armed pushups, while Naruto struggled to do two-armed pushups. It had started out easily, but Naruto found that the weights were quickly draining his strength, and so by the time he'd hit one hundred he was exhausted.

Hinata walked up, carrying a tray of lemonade. "Naruto, Lee, I made it. I brought something to refresh you!" She'd been invited to join, and though she was nervous around Lee, Naruto managed to convince her that he was alright.

"Yosh! Many thanks, Lady Hinata!" Lee shouted as he jumped up and took a glass. He took a sip and exclaimed, "Wow! I have surely never tasted such delicious lemonade! You're a genius!"

Hinata began to blush and stuttered out, "M-me? S-surely n-n-not..."

"No, Hinata, this is REALLY good!" Naruto, who had pulled himself up and taken a glass of his own, said. "I love it, believe it!"

That got Hinata to faint faster than normal because Naruto had been smiling genuinely, and it didn't fade as he bent down to pick Hinata up and put her against a tree. "I guess she still has a way to go."

Lee nodded, replying "Indeed, Naruto. The pressures of a high-class family are far more intense, I've noticed, than much of our own training, and some deal with it in different ways."

"How's Neji, by the way? Hinata says that he's actually gotten angrier since last month," Naruto asked as he tried to gently rouse the sleeping heiress.

"Alas, my teammate has begun to shut us out," Lee lamented, which Naruto noted made him look even more like his teacher. "He surely does attend our practices and works well enough in drills, but he has begun to shrink back from any association with us, to Miss Tenten's dismay and my own displeasure. Gai-sensei is trying to figure out a way to fix this, but even he lacks any pull in the Hyuuga house, and any interference from the main household will surely set Neji off."

Naruto thought hard about it, but shook his head and said, "I can't think of anything, either. There's got to be something behind all of this, something big from his perspective. Sasuke was really affected by his family's death; maybe something happened to Neji, too."

"Well, my uncle died about ten years ago," Hinata said as she sat up, having just stirred from sleep. "I don't know all the details, but I do remember how distant Neji began to be after that. His mother, my aunt, had died in childbirth, so his father was all he had."

"So, he's just like me..." Naruto mumbled, feeling sympathy for the older genin.

Lee was about to say something, but was interrupted as Shikamaru came running up. "Naruto, Lady Hinata, we're going on a mission. Report to the Hokage Tower immediately!"

"Yosh! Good luck on your mission today!" Lee said as he placed the empty glass next to Hinata and ran off, shouting something about needing more training.

"..." Shikamaru simply shook his head and then looked at Naruto and Hinata. "If you two are done with your date, let's get going." With that, he hustled off back to the center of town.

Naruto blinked and looked at Hinata, saying "Not that it doesn't sound like a good idea, but why does everyone think we're dating?"

Hinata blushed and began to stutter, not managing to complete even a single sentence as Naruto sighed and practically dragged Hinata to the Hokage Tower.

…

"We've got another mission?" Sasuke asked as he stood next to his teammates.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, and I think you'll like this one." He gave them one of his eye-smiles, to which all three rolled their eyes.

Anko ran up and shouted, "Hey guys, let's go! The Hokage is waiting!" That made everyone double-time it to the Tower, Kakashi included.

…

"You want me to what?" Jiraiya asked. "I can't babysit one brat, let alone six!"

The Hokage raised an eyebrow and responded, "You may be the Toad Sage, but I can still put you in your place; remember that."

"Er, yes, sensei," Jiraiya said, remembering the humiliating punishments that the old man had put him through when he was a genin.

"Anyway, the reason I need you to go is because your spy has sent word regarding Gato and his plans for Wave Country. The businessman already has shipping rights at pretty much every port, but it looks like he wants more power than that; the people of Wave are starving and need a team to go in and put Gato out of business," the Hokage stated. "I know you can't accept requests made to the Leaf Village, but if I know you, I know you'll go in and take care of Gato. The kids need real battle experience, though, so I'm sending Team Seven and Team Ten on the official mission; though it's underpaid, the resources we'll gain from Gato will far exceed the difference. Team Eight will pair with Team Gai on another mission to Wave, though there will be no need for contact between the four teams since you already outweigh any forces that Gato might have assembled."

"I'm a bloody chaperone..." Jiraiya complained under his breath, but one look from the Hokage shut him up again. "If the information my spy sent is accurate, then they're going to get plenty of battle experience," he then commented as his eyes scanned the message. "Why two, though? One team ought to do well enough, right?"

"The Chunin exams will be up in several months, and I would like to see how they have progressed, but aside from Team Gai none of them have gone through the rigors of a C-rank mission... though, in truth, it'll be an A-rank mission." The Hokage leveled his gaze at Jiraiya. "You'll begin training Naruto during this mission, got that?"

"... Yes, sensei." A knock came at the door, which Jiraiya decided was his cue and he disappeared as the door opened.

"Ah, Iruka. Have you the lists for today's assignments?" the Hokage asked.

Iruka nodded and responded, "Yes, sir. All listed and ready for your assignment."

The Hokage nodded. "Good." He hit a comm switch and said, "Ms. Saki, please clear Team Seven and Team Ten to come up."

"Yes, sir!" came a young woman's voice through the comm.

A few minutes later, the two teams filed in, students followed by their teachers. Naruto was the first to speak, saying "Hello, ol- er, Lord Hokage, Iruka-sensei! Got an awesome mission for our team today?"

The Hokage chuckled and responded, "Indeed I do, Naruto. It is a simple mission, but it will take you outside the village for a few days. You'll be escorting someone back to their home village, providing protection all the way there."

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted. "Is it a princess, or maybe a foreign ambassador from a vital ally, or- Ow!"

Shikamaru sighed as his hand lifted from Naruto's head. "Show some more respect to the Hokage. Trou-" The noise of a blade being drawn, however, shut him up quickly. "My apologies, Lord Hokage."

"No trouble at all," the Hokage responded as he motioned for Iruka to open another door.

Behind it was an old man that was dressed in clothes that looked ready to start falling apart. His shoes were mended in several places, as were his pants. He took a drink from a jug in his hand and said, "I paid for ninja, not a group of brats! The blond ones look especially useless."

Anko quickly bound Ino with her snakes, and Yuugao's sword kept Naruto from leaping at the old man. Both of them, however, were screaming things like "I'll show you who's useless!" and "Let me at him!"

Kakashi muttered, "Now, now, it wouldn't be nice to kill the person we're supposed to protect." Looking at the old man, he said "Do not be dismayed; you have four jonin accompanying you, which is far more than enough to protect you from bandits and wild animals, as was your request."

The man's eyes shifted to the left for a split second as he said, "Right, I know that. It's fine... look, I'm Tazuna, a master carpenter and bridge builder; you'll find no better talent from here to Cloud! I paid a lot, so I expect the best protection. I have to get back soon, but I can't see well at night, so we're leaving first thing in the morning." He then turned and left.

Naruto and Ino were seething, but held their tongue as they all turned back to the Hokage, who said "You heard the man. Be at the main gate at 6am, fully rested and prepared. Dismissed."

Soon everyone had filed out, though Naruto was muttering "Stupid old guy... calling me a useless brat... I'll show him..." Ino was muttering the same things to herself, but in her mind as she feared having to be chased by Anko's snakes again or, worse, join Team Gai after returning from their first C-rank mission. Hinata was pleased, thinking 'Finally, my first C-rank mission! Father will be pleased.' Shikamaru was dreading it because something in the back of his mind was screaming "Trap!" Sasuke was excited, as well, since he could get some real battle experience and be one step closer to finding Itachi, while Shino was indifferent to the whole thing.

The four jonin turned around to face their students. Saito began, saying "Don't do any training today. Make sure you're stocked up on not just food and water but also your ninja tools. Shikamaru, I give you leave today to go cloud-watch. Hinata, if your father wants you to train, tell him that you have a C-rank mission; he'll understand. Naruto, there's someone that's been asking around about you. If I'm right, he should be near the bathhouse. He has white hair and is a big guy, so you shouldn't miss him."

"Sasuke, Shino, Ino, no training today. Go relax, maybe do something together," Kakashi suggested. "Just be sure to be ready to go early; I suggest going to bed early." With that, the crowd of ninja dispersed.

Naruto was left alone, looking bewildered and wondering "Why would anyone be looking for me? I haven't done any pranks lately..." He walked over to the baths, which was also in the center of town, but he didn't see the man. Cautiously he looked into the springs on the men's side and breathed a sigh of relief as he didn't see anyone using them. He decided to spend some of his day washing up and relaxing; thankfully the owner was an ex-ninja that would not slight Naruto because he understood the truth, so he was able to afford to use the baths that day. After washing off, he settled into the water and breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed by the hot spring water, but the relaxation was short-lived as he heard giggling from the other side of the middle fence. He immediately sunk into the water, peeking his head out just enough to hear female voices that he immediately recognized as that of his graduating class and Lee's teammate. Drifting closer to the fence, he kept his breathing slow and nearly-silent as he listened in on their conversation.

"So, Hinata, how're things going with you and Naruto?" Ino asked as she slipped into the water, following just behind Sakura and the other two

"Uh... w-well..." Hinata began, poking her fingers together as she tried to explain what was going on.

"Now, now, Hinata, no secrets in the Sisterhood!" Sakura exclaimed.

"W-well, nothing's r-really going on. I am starting to become m-more comfortable around him, but I s-still want more, even after everything Saito-sensei keeps saying about relationships at our age," Hinata mumbled. "I don't want to be selfish-"

"It's not about being selfish, Hinata!" Tenten objected. "It's about making your move before he gets older. He won't look as good as Neji, but I guarantee that he'll be quite the looker when he hits eighteen, and the women of the village will be falling head-over-heels with him."

This made Naruto blush as heavily as Hinata would. 'She's just trying to make Hinata feel better... there's no way I'm going to look that good when I hit adulthood.'

"I don't know, Tenten. Naruto has the hair, but Sasuke's been looking even better overall since the Academy; I don't know why, but he looks happier than I ever remember seeing him being," Ino commented. "He's not my type of guy now, but at least he's not a prick anymore. I'd say that in a few years Sasuke will be challenging Neji in looks."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and said "Kiba's rough, but there's something about that feral look of his that might give him an edge. It'll be tough to choose between the four of them when we get older, though I have to admit that I like Naruto more since he stopped bothering me for a date- not that I want to now, so don't worry about competition from me, Hinata! I'm just saying, he might make a good friend now that he's a bit calmer and not stalking me."

Naruto felt warm inside from hearing all the praise he was getting from the female genin, but even that was short-lived as, just at the edge of hearing, he heard an unnatural shuffle in the trees that had been left growing when the village was built. He looked up and, although he didn't see anything, he saw a limb shaking slightly. Frowning slightly, he picked up a stone and flung it up into the tree. An unnatural-sounding 'thunk' followed and someone fell into his side of the pool, his screaming alarming the girls who immediately fled into the safety of the women's changing room. Naruto blinked as the man, who had fallen into the water, surfaced face-down; recognizing the man's hair and size, he dragged him to the edge of the pond.

As soon as the man was laid out at the edge, he came to and sat up. "Ow! Why'd you go and do that?!"

"Because you're a pervert! Stupid old man, if you weren't a ninja I'd tear you limb from limb for peeking at my friends like that!" Naruto responded angrily, not caring if the girls heard him.

The man looked up and jumped away, saying "Ah! Minato! Sorry!" He was on his knees, bowing apologetically to the bewildered Naruto for several seconds before he paused, his mind catching up with his eyes, and he looked up again. "Oh, don't scare me like that, kid." He stood up and began wringing out his hair nonchalantly. "You're Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I am. Why do you ask, Pervy-Grampa?" Naruto asked.

"Drop the 'pervy' stuff, brat. I'll have you know who I am right now!" The man began to do a weird dance as he announced, "I make women smile and men bow before me! I am many things: Ninja, author, expert dancer, you name it! But as for who I am... I am the legendary Jiraiya!" Out of nowhere, party poppers went off behind him and a banner dropped in from above.

"..." Naruto's expression dropped to one of exasperation. "Whatever, pervy-idiot. Just stay away from me and my friends, and we'll be fine." He began to get out of the water so that he could leave, but Jiraiya's hand stopped him.

"And where do you think you're going? No one simply walks away from me!" Jiraiya shouted. "I've decided to train you, and yet you're going to ignore me?"

"I'll bet Saito-sensei could beat you in ten seconds," Naruto responded.

Jiraiya chuckled and shook his head. "Boy, he's got a lot of years yet to live if he wants to even have a chance. After all, he was in my employ for some time before coming back here."

"Wait, he worked for you?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded and responded, "Yeah, he sure did. One of my best spies, in fact. It's a shame he's wasting his talents on a couple of no-name ninja-wannabes." Instantly Naruto was on top of him, punching the daylights out of the old man.

"I'm sick and tired of people thinking that my team and I don't have what it takes! We'll prove you wrong, believe it! And guess what? I'm going to become Hokage and show everyone that I do have what it takes to be the best! I'll protect this village no matter what!" All of a sudden, Naruto found his right fist being held from behind. In front of him was a log that had several dents in it.

"You have a good right hook, boy, but you have a long way to go in every aspect before you measure up to the likes of any of this village's leaders," Jiraiya said sternly. "Your dedication, though... I do like that. Come on, let's go train," he said as he turned to leave.

"But Pervy-Grampa, Saito-sensei said not to do any training today. I have a C-rank mission tomorrow," Naruto objected.

Jiraiya stopped and turned his head, saying "So the order of a jonin overrides a Sannin? And didn't you just get done telling me how dedicated you were to protecting the Leaf village? Then there's no time to not train. Besides, out of all you kids, you will recover by morning."

"Wait, you're one of the Sannin!?" Naruto exclaimed. "You're Jiraiya of the Sannin!? I've heard of you!" Jiraiya grinned at this. "You taught the Fourth Hokage!" Jiraiya's face fell at that, but quickly recovered. "Sweet! Are you going to show me a cool jutsu or something?"

"I don't know; you've been pretty mean so far. First you hit me in the head with a rock, then you call me perverted AND old, and then you don't recognize me immediately. Maybe I should go find someone more worthy of the skills I know," Jiraiya mock-complained, baiting Naruto.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto had enough experience to see through him. "First, if you were a Sannin, you wouldn't have gotten hit in the head; two, you are perverted and you look as old as the Old Man Hokage; and third I've never seen a picture of you in my life, and my teachers in the Academy aside from Iruka-sensei tried to sabotage my learning. Still don't know why, but it doesn't matter; I'm a ninja now, so they can't do anything."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Do me a favor, then: lift up your shirt so I can see your stomach, then begin to channel chakra."

Naruto looked at him like he was crazy, but acquiesced. He lifted up his shirt and began channeling chakra, saying "There. Happy?"

Jiraiya was busy, however, staring at the pattern on his stomach. "Impressive... I've never seen anything more complex in my life. There's no sign of fading at all..." He pushed the shirt down and nodded to himself. "Looks like I can teach you some stuff after all, but it's going to have to wait until after you get back. In the meantime, what are you working on right now?"

"Uh, physical training and chakra control. We just started learning wall-walking, and it's tough, but I can make it pretty far up a tree until I lose control and blast away from it," Naruto responded, glad to be talking about training.

Jiraiya nodded again, saying "That's good news. Soon you'll be water-walking, then leaf-balancing. For one with your large reserves, you're doing remarkably well; at this rate, even forbidden jutsu would be usable by you by the time you are qualified to join ANBU. In the meantime, keep up with what you're doing, and when you get back we'll begin going over the elements."

"Alright," Naruto said as he stepped into the changing room, leaving the Sannin to his own thoughts. He spent the rest of the day contemplating everything that had happened, from the C-rank mission to the girls to the Sannin. In the end, he fell asleep in his armchair, still nowhere near figuring out what was going on.

…

Meanwhile, the girls had reconvened at the cafe, very much self-conscious after the debacle at the baths. "So... uh, back to our last topic..." Sakura began, but no one responded.

"Forget that right now; we need to tell someone about a pervert lurking around the baths!" Ino said in response, her momentary timidity giving way to her pent-up rage.

Tenten raised her arms in a placating pose, saying "Calm down, Ino. Whoever it was, he was taken care of by whoever was nearby. I saw something fly up and someone fall out of the tree into the men's side, so it's all good." Taking a sip of her malt, she continued. "That being said, I think it's going to be awhile before I go back to the public bathhouse." Hinata merely nodded, her face looking as if she'd been painted on a day ago in red paint; even her tea couldn't soothe her.

"You know what's odd?" Sakura muttered. "I could have sworn I heard a familiar voice yelling as we left." Sipping her chocolate milk, her eyes rolled upward as she thought about it. "I don't know, though... it's weird."

"This whole year has been weird," Ino commented. "It's like something huge is going to happen soon, and fate is conspiring to get us as deeply involved as possible."

Tenten sighed and said, "Not you too! I hear enough of that 'fate' talk from Neji..."

None of the others said anything in response because all of them were trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually they all went home to get some rest.


	9. Chapter 9

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BE-thunk!

Naruto groaned as he removed his kunai from inside his alarm clock. "Great... have to buy another one. Yuugao-sensei is going to be pissed off..." Pulling himself out of bed, he showered and got ready to go. "Thank goodness I don't have so much ground to cover now..." he muttered to himself as he ate breakfast. Having spent the past ten minutes packing, he ate quickly so he could make it on time. Opening the door, he frowned at the fog-filled morning. "Great, we're in a cloud... Shikamaru's going to be even lazier than usual." Shaking off his own sleep, he quickly made his way down to the main gate.

"Good morning, Naruto!" Sasuke and Hinata said as Naruto walked up. Sasuke smiled and continued, saying "You're early this morning, even though we're not doing any training."

"I don't need to train to kick your butt, Sasuke," Naruto said back playfully, smiling as he greeted Sasuke with a fist-bump, then turned and hugged Hinata, who struggled not to faint on the spot. He then turned to Ino and Shino and said, "Good morning, Ino. Good morning, Shino."

"Hey, Naruto," Ino responded, her eyes scanning the jacket-less Naruto and silently concluding that maybe Naruto would, in fact, be Sasuke's and Neji's rival in looks after all.

"Good morning, Naruto. I trust you slept well," Shino replied monotonously.

Naruto shrugged. "About as well as anyone in an armchair can, I guess." He began doing basic stretches, with Sasuke and Hinata joining in, as they waited for their teachers and Shikamaru.

A couple of minutes later, all four arrived with their client, with Yuugao dragging the sleeping Shikamaru. Kakashi was the first to speak, saying "Good morning. I hope you're all ready." They all replied positively, and he nodded in response. "Good. Let's get a move-on." The large gate opened and the gatekeepers, Izumo and Kotetsu, sent them off with good wishes. The Wave Mission had begun.

Jiraiya watched silently as they left, quietly trailing them as he watched them. He kept his chakra signature down to a minimum, determined to get involved only if a certain swordsman did show up.

…

"A clear sky..." Shikamaru muttered as they walked along the path. "Too bad, I guess." He managed to catch himself before saying 'Troublesome'.

"You'll live, Shikamaru," Ino responded, already annoyed by the lazy genius.

"Alright, you evil ninja! I'm going to kick your-" Naruto started before being silenced by Saito.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, as usual," Saito said, "but the last thing you need to do is announce your presence. If, and it's a big 'if' for a C-rank mission, an enemy ninja should show up, leave it to one of us jonin." He looked over at Tazuna, who was silent and looking around warily, as if expecting someone to jump up and kill him on the spot. He then looked at the other jonin, who nodded at him. He nodded back and turned his attention to the road.

"Huh, did it rain last night or something?" Naruto asked, looking at a nearby puddle of water.

"Keep your eyes open, Naruto," Saito muttered. "Don't waste time looking at innocent puddles. Speaking of which..." he turned his back to the group and unzipped his pants. "Keep going; I'll be right behind you. And you, young lady," he said to the group, then Hinata, "don't use your Byakugan." He winked, then turned to urinate in the puddle.

Hinata, who got the message, activated her Byakugan and couldn't help but chuckle as the two ninja who were hiding in the puddle got pissed on by Saito.

"Gah!" they said as they leaped out of the puddle. "You little-!" They immediately wrapped their bladed chains around Saito and squeezed him. Blood poured out of his skin through ripped fabric and his exposed face, and he collapsed to the ground, dead as a doornail.

The expressions of the genin changed from humor to alarm as Saito died, and they immediately got into a defensive formation. Shikamaru barked, "Alright, Hinata, Sasuke, let's go. Naruto, Shino, Ino, protect the client!" He pulled out a kunai and started for the two chunin. Having freed their chains from Saito's body, one engaged the approaching genin while the other circled around to try and take out Tazuna. The first went through a series of hand signs and shouted "Water style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" Out of his mouth came blobs of water that sped toward the genin, who scattered out of the way of the jutsu.

The second launched his chain into the group, trying to pluck Tazuna out of the group before they could respond, but Naruto grabbed it out of the air and pinned it down with a kunai, then launched another one at the chunin. The chunin smirked as he batted the kunai out of the way, but suddenly felt his strength waning. "What's happening?" he asked as he fell to the ground.

The first saw the second fall and disengaged to rendezvous with him, but found himself trapped and unable to move. Glancing down with his eyes, he saw a shadow lancing out from Shikamaru. Several quick hits from Hinata's Gentle Fist that sealed his chakra points, followed by a decisive combo that itself was followed by a heel drop from Sasuke, and he fell too.

The second was awake long enough to see an army of tiny bugs marching off of his skin and flying back to Shino, who stared unemotionally back at him. Realizing that the boy was an Aburame, he cursed his fate as his eyes closed, too tired to keep them open.

"We should kill them!" Naruto shouted. "They killed Saito-sensei!" Pulling out another kunai, he started toward one of them before a hand landed on his shoulder.

"There's been enough killing today, I think," Saito said, smiling. "You all did excellent."

"Indeed," Kakashi said as he and the other two sensei came out of the woods next to the path. "Your training is definitely paying off if you could take on two experienced chunin."

"However," Yuugao said as she examined the blades of the chain, "it looks like the blades are coated in a poison."

"Ah, Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed as they looked at Naruto's bleeding hand. "Sensei, how do we get the poison out?"

"We need to get back to the village," Saito responded, only to watch in surprise as Naruto took out a kunai and opened the wound even further.

"I can't quit now," Naruto said with fierce determination. "I swore to learn how to act like a Hokage, and he wouldn't back down because of a little poison." His bleeding fist closed as he held the blood in front of him. "I swear on my blood that I will escort Tazuna back to his home, and nothing or no one will stand in my way, believe it!"

Everyone silently applauded Naruto's speech, though after a couple of seconds Kakashi said, "That's all well and good, Naruto, but you opened the wound too much. At this rate, you'll bleed out and die."

"What!?" Naruto exclaimed, his expression totally changing. "Oh, no! What am I gonna do?" He started running around in circles in a panic, making everyone else laugh until after Saito stopped him and bandaged the wound.

"Don't worry, Naruto. At this point you've bled out the poison, and now we just need to wait for the wound to close," Saito said, then turned around to face the chunin, who were now tied up. "Now, to deal with our captives... Hinata, Shikamaru, would you mind opening up their eyelids?" They nodded and complied. Saito activated his eyes and looked into theirs for a moment before deactivating them. "Chumps... we're in trouble, though."

"What did you find out, Saito?" Yuugao asked.

Saito sighed and looked at Tazuna. "Tell us the truth: why were they after you? One ran interference while the other went for you; the chain wasn't aimed at Naruto."

Tazuna broke down and told them the story of what had happened in Wave since Gato took over shipping in their land. Everyone listened sympathetically as Tazuna spoke of how he wanted to bring hope to the people by building a bridge from their island to the mainland, but was being bullied by Gato's men. Finally, he explained the circumstance behind his request for ninja protection until he completed the bridge, being able to only afford a C-ranking.

Saito nodded and looked at the others. "This just got serious. I've heard a lot about Gato, and I know he can hire just about any rogue ninja with the amount of resources he has. This mission just jumped from C-rank to at least A-rank. Yuugao, Kakashi, and Anko, we need to send the kids back to the village for their own protection; they're not ready to face experienced jonin, especially rogue jonin."

"Sensei, I vote that we continue the mission," Naruto said before any of the jonin could speak.

"And why is that, Naruto?" Saito asked. "You do know that there's a reason why genin don't even get C-rank missions until they're more experienced, right? You six did well to incapacitate these two, but they're low-level chunin. Gato has enough money to hire ninja as strong as Itachi ever was."

"I'm with Naruto, Saito-sensei," Sasuke said as he stood next to Naruto. "This is our mission; we accepted it and determined to complete it, no matter what trials we faced."

"I would normally be against it," Shikamaru muttered, "but he's right. We were assigned this mission, so we're responsible, as troublesome as it might be, to see it through to the end."

"But the mission parameters have changed," Anko objected. "It's no longer the same mission."

Hinata quietly but firmly stood next to Naruto, holding his uninjured hand. "Are you sure? Our mission was to protect the bridge builder until he finished his project. It may have been implied that our opposition was limited to wildlife and bandits, but all pose an equal threat to the life of the client."

"Agreed. The safety of the client is of the utmost importance, and we will trust you to take care of anything that we cannot handle," Shino added, surprising everyone.

Ino sighed and said, "If Hinata thinks we should continue, then I agree as well. Besides, we're going to have to face unexpected situations like this some time, right? What would it say about us if we turned tail and ran just because something unexpected happened?"

Kakashi nodded. "You're right. 'Those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their team are lower than trash'. Saito, let's let them continue with the mission."

Saito looked at Yuugao and Anko, who nodded back, and sighed. "Alright, but the moment we tell you to escape, take the client and run for it."

"Yes, sensei!" all the genin responded, and with that they resumed walking down the road, Tazuna silently admiring the courage of the children he had before put down so viciously.

…

Five minutes later, a white-haired man came up to the unconscious chunin and woke them up. "Hey, I don't pay you guys to sleep on the job!"

The first one came to, while the second one simply slumped to the ground. "Ah, Master Jiraiya! Sorry, but we couldn't help it. We made it look as convincing as possible, even making it seem like our blades were coated in poison, but those genin from your village are insane!" Ripping off his Mist headband, he slipped on a Leaf headband and continued, "The blond one grabbed his chain and pinned it to the ground. I got my chakra points sealed, then got pummeled by a black-haired kid, all while being held in place by some pineapple-haired brat. Did the jonin know about us? They didn't really do anything to stop us."

"To an extent, and that's why they stopped the genin from killing the two of you," Jiraiya said. "They know that you were a first field test for them, and that a greater test will await them."

"You got Zabuza and Haku in on this? I feel bad for the brats now," the awake chunin said. "Anyway, Gato's making more progress by the day. We don't really rank high on the pecking order, so Zabuza will have more information, but we do know that the longer Gato is alive, the worse things will get for Wave and the countries that surround it."

Jiraiya nodded and commented, "Yeah, the balance of power will no doubt be upset and could trigger another Great Ninja War."

"That's why we left Mist; we didn't want to get mixed up in the power struggles of the village or the dominant side's ambitions," the chunin muttered. "What should we do now, though? We can't go back to Gato; our heads will roll."

"That's fine. Go on standby and wait for further orders, maybe find yourself some fun at the brothel or something..." Jiraiya responded, looking down the road. "Also, infuse some of your remaining chakra into your brother; kikai bugs don't really know when enough is enough." With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"... Yeah, that's not really my style, but you're the boss," he muttered as he began channeling chakra into his brother. "Why does he think that all guys think like he does?"

…

The next day found them crossing over a body of water by boat, using the morning fog to cross into Wave country secretly. Naruto could barely keep his excitement contained, but one look at Hinata and Shikamaru told him that he needed to keep still and quiet for the time. Because of the size of the boat, the jonin were walking on the water alongside the boat; it was easy because at that time of day the water was calm, rather than at, say, midday when large cargo boats would move along and create large waves that made it difficult for any ninja to walk on water. By the time they got to the other shore and began walking, the fog began to get thicker. All breathing was silent as they perked their ears for the slightest hint of movement. After about half an hour, Naruto heard something and, by reflex, tossed a kunai into a bush next to the road. To his surprise, a rabbit leaped out and ran off.

"Naruto," Ino whispered, "don't be so jumpy! What would you have done if you'd killed that poor bunny?"

"Make rabbit stew, maybe?" Shino commented humorlessly, though he seemed to have intended it to be a joke. No one laughed, though, and both Hinata and Ino glared daggers at him.

Anko frowned as she watched the rabbit dive into another bush. "Something's wrong with that rabbit. It has a white coat, but it's already mid-spring."

"Hinata, Byakugan," Saito whispered.

Hinata nodded and scanned the area, but said "I can't see anything. The mist itself is laced with chakra."

"Everybody, down!" Yuugao shouted. They dropped to the ground and no sooner than they did that a giant sword whirled over them and planted itself in a thick tree. She looked up and bit out, "Zabuza, the Silent Killer."

"I'm pleased that my reputation precedes me," a voice rang out from above them. In a tree stood a man with short hair and a mask. His thin, wiry frame seemed to contrast heavily with the sword he'd just thrown at them. "I recognize two of you. 'Sharingan' Kakashi and 'All-Seeing Eye' Saito. I had no idea you'd been demoted to babysitting. Perhaps your skills are slipping?"

Kakashi and Saito both, however, were picking at their ears and examining their fingers. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" they both asked. Everyone who'd gotten up slipped and fell to the ground again.

Zabuza growled and disappeared into the mist again. The sword was already gone when he did so. Everyone got up and huddled around Tazuna as a voice rang out of the mist. "Head, heart, liver... just a few of the many vital organs. Which shall I target today...?"

Saito saw the students quaking in fear and he muttered, "It's alright, guys. Just ignore his words and remember your training."

"Ah, but what if he's already in your midst?" a voice suddenly rang out behind Saito, who quickly whipped out a kunai and slashed at Zabuza. He turned to water and collapsed, and as Saito said "Water Clone!" another one appeared, bringing his sword down toward Kakashi, who disappeared into his own puddle of water.

"Yuugao, Kakashi and I will handle the clones. Take Anko and see if you can find the real Zabuza." As the two jonin left, he turned to the genin and said, "Protect the client! Don't let anything or anyone get near him!" Turning back around, he barely managed to dodge the giant cleaver that came down at him. He slashed at the man, who turned into a puddle of water, and he cursed the idea of clones as he activated his All-Seeing Eyes. Unfortunately, the mist was so thick with Zabuza's chakra that he couldn't see. 'This isn't normal... he must be using more chakra to block my vision and that of Kakashi. He must have gotten stronger since last time, or else all he wants is the client and doesn't care about wasting his chakra.'

Zabuza chuckled to himself as his clones fought Saito and Kakashi, waiting for the right opportunity to attack the client, or for Jiraiya to show up first. He knew that if he ran out of chakra before the Sannin got there, Haku would rescue him since, for appearance's sake, he had to maintain a state of hostility. He could feel the two female jonin searching through the misty woods and kept quiet, and silently sent out two more clones, thankful that his mastery of water jutsu allowed him to use so little chakra to make the clones and still keep up the mist. Suddenly a snake appeared in front of him from a branch above him, and it lunged out at him, but he grabbed it and ripped it in two. He realized what it really was too late, though, as a leg came from behind the snake and kicked him off of his perch. He then righted himself and bounded off of a tree toward the group of genin, readying his sword for a definitive strike, but found himself pushed back as suddenly the dark-haired girl began spinning and a chakra shield slammed into him. He used the backward momentum to hide in the woods again, but he found himself forced out as Saito and Yuugao chased him. With his sword ready in one hand and a kunai in the other, he began to fight the both of them on the path. Despite the huge size of his sword, he swung it as if it were a branch, quickly deflecting both Leaf jonin's attacks and even making assaults of his own. This went on for several minutes before he managed to get some distance from them and engaged Kakashi in a jutsu duel. At the same time, seemingly, the two made the same signs and lanced out with various water jutsu, from the simple water-bullet to the deadly Water Dragon jutsu. Zabuza prayed that Jiraiya would show up soon, but found himself weakened as the battle continued.

Just as it looked like Kakashi would get the killing blow, two needles sailed through the air from the shadows and pierced Zabuza's neck. He slumped down and fell on his face, but before Kakashi could go over and see what had happened, a masked individual appeared. "I apologize for taking advantage of you, but I've been hunting this man for some time. Thank you for your assistance," the hunter said before picking up Zabuza's body and disappearing into the fading mist.

Naruto, as did everyone else, stood silently as they tried to figure out what had just happened. Finally, he shouted out "Glory-hound!" and sat on the ground, pouting. "Stupid hunter..."

"Now, now, it's fine, Naruto. Glory doesn't matter on a mission," Saito said as he picked Naruto off of the ground. "Besides, do ninjas pout?"

"I suppose not, sensei, but you guys had him on the ropes! One of you, at least, should have gotten the kill," Naruto protested. "You did all the work, and that guy gets the credit."

"Not really," Yuugao said as she put her sword away. "We'll be seeing them both again at some point, I think."

"But the hunter killed Zabuza! Got him right in the neck!" Ino said. "How does someone live from that?" She got her answer as Anko came out of the woods holding one of her dango sticks, which looked like she'd sharpened an end of and threw it into Ino's arm. Immediately the arm went limp and Ino began freaking out. "Ow! Why'd you do that, sensei!?"

"To teach you a lesson, brat," Anko responded. "You see, it was thrown with such accuracy and strength that it hit one of your major nerve endings, completely disabling your arm. What that fake-hunter did was hit the nerve endings in the neck that, if interrupted, will put someone into a death-like state." Carefully she removed it and feeling started returning to Ino's arm. "It will be at least a week before he's up and running again; if it were a civilian, it would take more than a month, if the damage wasn't permanent."

"Which means that we all have to get stronger while we're guarding Tazuna," Kakashi said, his Sharingan eye covered up again. "I'll do chakra capacity exercises, Anko will do chakra control."

"I'll take physical training," Saito said. "What about you, Yuugao?"

"I'll be training Shikamaru, as usual, but I also want to train Shino," Yuugao responded. "The both of you will be learning swordsmanship from me for now on."

"Understood, sensei; thank you," Shino said respectfully.

"Oh no... guess I'm in trouble again," Shikamaru muttered before nodding and saying, "Yes, sensei..."

Saito turned to Tazuna, who was shaken but unharmed. "Are you ready to go?" Tazuna only nodded, and with that they continued on their way.


	10. Chapter 10

"You couldn't wait five more minutes?" Jiraiya asked Haku as the fake-hunter removed the senbon needles from Zabuza's neck.

"Would you rather have had Zabuza-shishkabobs?" Haku retorted as the man began to stir. "Don't try to move right now, Zabuza. I had to paralyze you, as was part of the plan."

Zabuza didn't open his eyes and spoke softly, saying "That's fine... Master Jiraiya, what's the next part of the plan?"

"I still need you to play the part of the ruthless missing-nin mercenary. Once you've recovered, you'll be fighting them again at Gato's demand, though no doubt the both of you will be fighting that battle," Jiraiya said. "If Gato's reputation is accurate, then he'll be ready nearby with a band of his goons to kill everyone there, regardless of if you win or lose, and since he's impatient he'll probably jump into the fray if it even looks like you're losing. That will provide ample time for my other teams to raid his base, kill any guards there, and secure it for Wave and Leaf."

"And where will you be, Master Jiraiya?" Haku asked.

"Watching the battle, especially if Naruto is fighting. I need to make sure that the kid doesn't lose control," Jiraiya responded. "If he does, even I will have trouble fighting him."

"Impossible!" Haku said. "He's just a genin, and a bad one at that if he thinks orange is a good color for a ninja!"

Jiraiya merely chuckled and said, "Ninja lesson #1: Never judge by appearances; always look underneath even what seems to be hidden. Trust me, Naruto's far more than just a 'cute kid' with blond hair and blue eyes."

Haku began to leave and said as the mask went back on, "We'll see, in due time, I suppose. I'm going to go see if Gato is on the way." With that, the hunter left the two older ninja alone.

"Kids..." Jiraiya said as he turned back to Zabuza. "Anyway, please reconsider my request to become an official Leaf ninja. Haku needs a better life than always traveling and waiting for another meal. I'm grateful to you for being my spy, but surely Haku needs some grounding."

"I know, but do you realize how big of an incident it would become if a former Mist ninja, and the 'Silent Killer' at that, allied himself with a nation that is currently involved with a 'cold war' with Mist?" Zabuza asked. "Haku can go at anytime, but the kid doesn't want to leave me, for some odd reason, so let's wait and see. Besides, my name and headband are good enough for me." The sword shifted and Zabuza looked at it, saying "Yes, Kubikiri, you're good enough for me too."

"A living sword, huh? Are all the Mist swords like that?" Jiraiya asked.

Zabuza's shoulders shifted slightly. "I guess so. The only ones I know of for sure is my own and the Shark-tooth Sword that belonged to one Kisame of the Mist."

"Itachi's partner..." Jiraiya muttered.

"Yeah, and I'm going to prove to him that he and his sword are no match for mine, you can count on that," Zabuza said.

Jiraiya nodded. "You may have a better chance of getting the opportunity if you join Leaf. I'll let you rest in the meantime; I have a brat to trail. I'll be back in two days." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

…

"Welcome home, Father!" shouted a voice from inside the house as Tazuna walked up to it. A beautiful woman in her early thirties came out and hugged the old man, sobbing. "I'm so glad you're home safe and sound!"

"It's alright, Tsunami. I have the best of the Leaf Village for my guards!" Tazuna crowed. "I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am that these people showed up. Let's get everyone settled in, though, and I'll tell you what happened after that."

Tsunami nodded and bowed to the Leaf Ninja. "Thank you very much for watching over my father. Come on in; dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, so you should have enough time to settle in and wash up." She led them into the house, which looked fairly small on the outside yet was spacious and cozy inside. There wasn't much in the way of furniture or anything, but somehow it still looked very homey.

Hinata looked around and said, "You have a beautiful house, ma'am. Did you decorate it yourself?"

"Indeed I did, young lady," Tsunami responded, smiling brightly. "We don't have much, but I've always thought that a little imagination went a long way."

Ino joined Hinata and nodded in agreement as she looked around as well. Even the men among the group had to admit that the place was expertly designed and looked very appealing. Tsunami disappeared into the kitchen and called out, "Make yourselves at home! The guest bedrooms are upstairs, the second and third door on the right. The bathroom is in the last room on the left. Hurry up! Dinner will be ready shortly!"

Naruto and everyone filed upstairs, glad to finally be off their feet. The women were given first priority to the bathroom, though the jonin were careful to make sure Ino and Hinata took as little time as allowable in the circumstance.

Over dinner, which was a small portion compared to what they were all used to, Tazuna began to talk about the adventure he'd had on his way back from the Leaf Village. Kakashi noted that Tsunami was constantly in suspense as her father talked, but her son seemed to be disinterested. At the end of the meal, the ninja retired upstairs to plan out their training week. Saito and Kakashi would guard Tazuna as he worked on the bridge, while Yuugao and Anko would guard Tsunami. The genin would rotate every two days, with the exception of Shikamaru and Shino, who would get personal training from Yuugao in swordsmanship. They would be prepared for the next battle.

…

"Aww, man!" Chouji exclaimed as they left the village. "I forgot to pack as many potato chips as I need!"

Sakura groaned in response. "Chouji, you already have five scroll's worth of potato chips; you couldn't possibly need more." She tried to tune him out by humming a light-hearted tune that she made up on the spot.

"No worries, Chouji," Kiba said as he walked with Asuma at the head of the group. "Asuma did promise to take us to the barbeque place when we got back, so just think about that." Akamaru barked and wagged his tail happily, sniffing the ground as he walked in front of Kiba, and Kiba nodded in return. "I know, I can just about taste it too!"

"Aw, Kiba! You're making me hungrier..." Chouji muttered as he glanced longingly at Kurenai's backpack. She'd insisted on carrying everyone's food supplies, and Asuma had readily agreed to it. Their mission to Wave, they were told, was a training mission to clear out a Leaf outpost in that land of bandits who'd taken up residence there. Supposedly there were valuable documents belonging to Leaf that hadn't been retrieved when it was abandoned, though the paperwork on the withdraw was lost. Chouji decided to think about the mission instead and asked, "So, why did it take so long for us to find out about the outpost and its fate?"

"The bureaucratic process is never without holes," Kurenai responded. "It's part of being human; we're all bound to make mistakes every now and again."

"So, why did we have an outpost in Wave country in the first place?" Sakura asked.

Asuma said, "Because the ninja village there, the Village Hidden in the Whirlpool, was one of our allies awhile back before it was destroyed. A couple of ninja families who'd survived moved to Konoha and now serve in the Ninja Corps, but not many did. At the end of the war, Wave was declared neutral country with small towns that served as their own independent states. It's been relatively peaceful there, but it's a prime hideout for bandits, so occasionally we go in to clear them out."

"Do they pay for such a mission, like this one, or are they ordered directly by the Hokage?" Kiba asked.

"Usually we're hired by one of the towns, but sometimes the Hokage orders one if reports come in regarding a massive influx of malcontents into the area," Kurenai responded. "No doubt that this sort of mission would've been tended to at some point once we learned of their activities, regardless of our being paid or not."

Kiba nodded and was about to say something, but both he and Akamaru picked up a scent. Alarmed, he ran past Asuma and stopped further up the road, bending over to sniff something.

"Kiba, what is it?" Asuma asked, on edge because of the abruptness of his movements.

"Blood, sensei!" Kiba shouted back. "It's Naruto's!"

They all hurried up to check it out. When they arrived, Kiba continued. "It's about two days old. I can smell poison as well; it's faint and not lethal, but definitely there. He must have gotten into a battle with a rogue ninja and been hit with a poisoned blade." He frowned as he sniffed around the area. "He continued to bleed through the wound, which must have been a large one if he dropped this much blood, but it looks like he stopped bleeding about a mile down the path." Remembering the incident at the ramen shop, he muttered, "It must be his regeneration kicking in. Good thing, too..."

"Regeneration?" Sakura asked, though Asuma and Kurenai shared knowing looks.

Kiba nodded and said, "Yeah, apparently Naruto heals much quicker than normal people. It must be why he's able to do some of the crazy stuff he does and get away with it." He started sniffing again. "I think they were ninja that his team fought, but it's odd. Despite there being four jonin with them, the two unknown ninja managed to escape with their lives. I can't smell anything else, though..."

"Excellent work, Kiba," Asuma said. "Sakura, Chouji, what would you suggest we do at this point?"

"Well, we can't abandon our mission, sensei," Sakura said, "and we can trust their teachers to be mindful of the danger that they put their students in. I think we should proceed, but with caution."

"I'm worried about Naruto," Chouji began, "but I've known him long enough to know that anything of that sort won't keep him down. In fact, I doubt death itself could stop him."

"Then it's settled. We move on," Kurenai said as they began to walk down the path again.

They soon made it to the border of Wave, which was formed by a river-like body of water that separated the nearby islands with the mainland, forming the border between Wave and both Fire and Mist. As they approached, they were met by two Leaf-headband-wearing ninja. "Hello!" Asuma greeted as they walked up to the boats where they were waiting.

"Good day, Asuma!" the first responded. "Running a C-rank, huh? That's why I like being a chunin. Not too many dangerous missions, but we get to travel, right, bro?"

The second looked up as he packed their travel packs in his boat. "Yup. Better than being stuck at that gate all the time. Hey, Asuma, how are Izumo and Kotetsu doing?"

"They're doing fine," Asuma replied as he looked back at the students. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah, we're ready," Kiba said.

Asuma nodded and looked over at the other boat, where Kurenai and Sakura were sitting. "Ladies, ready to set out?"

"Yes, Asuma, we're ready," Kurenai responded.

"Okay, let's go," Asuma said. The two boats immediately launched into Wave's waters, nothing other than footprints signifying Team Eight's first mission to another country.

…

Yuugao stared at Shikamaru and Shino as she paced in front of them. Shikamaru looked nervous, as he usually did when Yuugao would teach, but Shino looked as stoic as usual. "We're beginning your training today. These bokuto will familiarize you with the shape and weight of a real katana while keeping you out of unnecessary danger." She tossed two of the bamboo swords at the two genin, both of whom caught them, though Shikamaru seemed to fumble with his for a second.

"Sensei, why are you training me in swordsmanship? None of the ninja in my family have ever shown proficiency in it, and our family jutsu is designed for sneak attacks from a distance," Shikamaru asked.

"I must admit a curiosity toward the same, sensei, for the same reasons," Shino said. "Surely I have shown no proficiency in any bladed weapon, though I'll freely admit that it would certainly come in handy since my kikai bugs don't require hand signs to control."

"You both lack close-quarters combat skills," Yuugao responded as she swung her own bokuto, warming up her arm muscles. "A sword is an important tool, no matter the size or shape. Surely you two remember how difficult it was for me to fight the Silent Killer, even alongside Saito?" Shikamaru and Shino nodded in affirmation, and Yuugao continued. "We're going to go over the basics right now; later you'll practice with various types of bladed weapons to see which you're most comfortable with."

"Yes, sensei!" the two genin responded.

Yuugao nodded and got into a stance. "Now, watch me and repeat after me." She then began to go through basic movements, which Shikamaru and Shino both mimicked. This went on for about two hours, and Shikamaru had started to get both tired and bored, but he dared not show any sign of it; Shino was getting tired too, but he knew the value of the basics so he said nothing. They then stopped to rest for a few minutes, but went right back to it. This kept up for the whole day, though they stopped for lunch and dinner as well, and they didn't go back inside the house until lights-out. Shikamaru and Shino both slept deeply that night, though their minds continued to go through the movements.

…

"Control, Naruto! You must refine your control," Saito said as the boy kept running up and down a pillar. "You must not leave ANY footprints, understand?" Early that morning, when Yuugao left, Saito took Naruto and Sasuke with him to the bridge for the first watch, while Kakashi kept Hinata and Ino behind to work on chakra capacity at the house; Anko would jump between helping Tsunami around the home and helping Kakashi.

"I'm trying, sensei, but it's easier to do it standing still!" Naruto responded between heavy breaths. Even with his stamina, Naruto was beginning to tire and would sometimes leave footprints in the wooden beam.

"Of course it is! Remember that movie that came out a couple of months ago? 'Do, or do not; there is no try!'" Saito responded. "Do it!" Turning to Sasuke, he frowned; Sasuke had better chakra control, but his emotions caused him to lose focus entirely. It was so bad that Sasuke was leaving a body-shaped pit under his pole. "Sasuke, focus on the mission, not your thoughts! Take them captive and make them work for you; don't work for them!"

"Yes, sensei..." Sasuke gritted as he ran up his post again. He kept trying to remember Inoichi's thought-focusing exercises, but the training was making it difficult and his mind would always wander to Itachi and trying to find him.

Ino and Hinata had already drained their chakra reserves and were resting at this point. According to Kakashi, the chakra coils were much like the primary group of muscles in that when they were exercised they would increase in size. So during the rest of the time Kakashi would teach them about strategy by playing chess, much like Asuma would often do with Shikamaru during their off-days. In this Hinata surprised Kakashi by being Ino's superior, though he would routinely beat them, but Hinata would be able to take out more of Kakashi's pieces than Ino by making surprising movements. Often they would be disastrous in the long run because her king would be left open on some front, but Kakashi knew that both Hinata and Ino, the latter of whom would watch intently, would get better as they played more. Kakashi also noted inwardly that Hinata would focus more on the individual strengths of each piece, while Ino would try to factor in all the pieces at the same time, so he suspected that Ino would end up surpassing Hinata in this aspect.

Anko found herself enjoying spending her time with Tsunami, who had more in common than just interior decorating, though they spent a lot of time working on that. Tsunami was a kind soul, but vicious when it came to defending her family; it was to her credit, mainly, that Gato's goons had never really approached their house since the whole thing started. Anko didn't speak much about herself at first, but as the day wore on she began to talk about things that she wouldn't talk about to either Kurenai or Yuugao. Tsunami easily understood Anko's feeling of loss, having lost her mother when she was a teenager and her husband a year ago, though she knew she could never understand Anko's rage at the one who'd betrayed her. By the end of the day, both Anko and Tsunami knew they'd found a lifelong friend that they could trust.

At dinnertime, Naruto animatedly described how they were going to 'kick Zabuza's butt' the next time they fought him, as well as any backup the Silent Killer might get. Suddenly, Tsunami's son spoke up, saying "Why even bother? Gato's going to kill you anyway! Just give up."

"Why should I give up?" Naruto asked, clearly offended. "I swore that I would save this village from Gato, and that's what I'm going to do! I'm training as hard as I can so that I can protect my team; what are you doing?"

"I'm accepting my fate, but I don't expect you to understand! I bet you never had to suffer any loss, being safe and secure in a ninja village!" the kid said.

This struck a nerve in both Naruto and Sasuke. "Shut up! You don't even KNOW the meaning of the word 'suffering'!" As Naruto said that, they both got up and ran out of the house.

In tears now, Hinata got up to follow, but Kakashi held up a hand and said, "Let them be, Hinata. They need their alone time." Almost immediately afterward they heard two distinct crashes that seemed to come from different directions. "Yeah, you're not going to be able to help them right now. I'm sorry."

Hinata sighed and said, "I know, Kakashi-sensei, but I still..."

"Yes, I understand, but trust me; they need to work this out of them," Kakashi said.

Tsunami was split between horror at her son's words and surprise at Naruto's and Sasuke's reactions. "Inari, I want you to say sorry to them when they get back."

Inari looked at her, the surprise from Naruto and Sasuke still shining in his eyes though it was mixed with hurt pride, before getting up and going out onto the front porch. Kakashi got up as well and followed behind him. "Don't worry, ma'am. I'll explain it to him. Saito, if you could please fill our guests in?"

"Will do," Saito said. After Kakashi walked out the door he turned his attention to Tsunami. "Anko, could you please explain Sasuke's connection to this issue once I'm finished with Naruto's side?"

"Sure," Anko said, her voice surprisingly subdued as she thought back to her own sufferings.

…

"Neither of them are mad at you, Inari," Kakashi said as he sat down next to the boy. "They've had a rougher past than most ninja in this day and age, especially Naruto. Tell me, though, why did you say what you said? Does it have to do with the torn pictures in the living room?"

"..." Inari looked up at Kakashi, and though he couldn't tell what his whole facial expression looked like, the jonin's eye shone with sympathy. "My dad was killed by Gato. He was the village hero; he helped us when the river flash-flooded, but he also helped me when some bullies stole my cat and stuck him in a box in the middle of the river. I couldn't swim, so I kept begging them to go get him back, but they just laughed. Then, out of nowhere, he came up and fished the box out of the river, then scolded the kids and sent them running. He asked me why I didn't try to rescue the cat myself, and I told him that I couldn't swim. He then told me that it was because I wasn't courageous to try, but that I could be courageous."

…

"He isn't Inari's father, but Inari would follow him around everywhere he went," Tsunami said. "We married soon after that, and the year we were together were so happy. But then Gato showed up and oppressed the townspeople, and when he tried to oppose Gato the tycoon killed him and put his head on a platter for everyone to see, making an example out of him." The tears welled up as she finished. "Inari hasn't been the same since."

"I'm so sorry, ma'am..." Saito responded, and the others shared their sympathy. "We ninja are trained to deal with death, so the pain you're going through must be far greater." His mind's eye began to watch his memories as he thought back. "I lost my father in the most recent war, then my mother to the Nine-tailed Fox's attack on the Leaf Village twelve years ago. By then, though, I was an accomplished ninja already. Naruto, who was a newborn at that time, lost both of his parents that day, and he grew up as an orphan. For this and other reasons I can't explain, he had to fend for himself a lot as a child, right, Anko?"

Anko nodded. "Yeah. Despite what you might think of a prosperous ninja village, the streets in some areas aren't all that safe, especially since we no longer have an active police force and the duty falls to the few ANBU who are ever around to patrol the city. Naruto, given his circumstances, had a rougher time than many of the other orphans; no one, it seems, was willing to adopt him. He's had to claw and scrape his way to every achievement he's made, including becoming a ninja. For him, there is no such thing as 'giving up'. He fights, not only to protect the village, but because he believes that the people will love him once he becomes Hokage; he's desperate for love, so he bonds easily to just about anyone who will acknowledge him, but he knows evil so he doesn't bond too closely for fear of drawing out that evil."

…

"Sasuke, on the other hand, knows what it's like to lose family at an old enough age to remember it while young enough to not know how to handle it," Kakashi continued as he spoke to Inari. "Several years back, Sasuke's brother went insane and killed every member of his family in cold blood, leaving only Sasuke alive." Inari gasped, and Kakashi nodded as he continued. "Yeah, it was a gruesome sight. Being one of the first people to show up at the scene, I'm surprised Sasuke has any of his own sanity left, but the point is that suffering comes with being human. We all experience hardships at some point and to varying degrees, so it's unfair to assume that you're the only one suffering in the world. If you want further proof, consider your mom. She lost the man that she loved deeply with a love only a grown-up man and grown-up woman can have for each other; you're too young to understand that, but just know that your own mother suffered greatly that day." Inari was silent as he considered everything. Kakashi got up to go inside, but paused and said, "Don't stay out here too long, but do spend some time thinking about it." With that, he went inside.

…

A rustling sound woke Naruto up from his sleep. To his surprise, he found himself in the middle of the forest, staring at a person picking stuff up from the ground. As he gasped, the person turned around, revealing a beautiful girl around his age, wearing a pink kimono. "Uh, hello!" Naruto said.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to wake you," the girl replied. "I just like to come out here to pick herbs and other such items; they make good medicine."

"Oh, alright. Can I help?" Naruto asked as he sat up.

The girl nodded. "Certainly. You see the leaves shaped like a spade? Pick those, but be careful not to just tear them off; I need the root, too." She turned and went back to work, Naruto kneeling next to her to help. "So, I don't think I've noticed you around the village before."

"No, I'm from the Leaf Village. I'm a ninja. Uzumaki Naruto; pleased to meet you!" Naruto said, grinning.

"Ah, Naruto. I'm Haku. Pleased to meet you, too," the girl said. "Will you be here long?"

"I'm not really sure. Our teams are training right now, preparing for when we meet Eyebrow-less in battle, which Kakashi-sensei thinks will be a week from now," Naruto explained. "We're trying to get to Gato, so we can save the village from his grasp."

"How noble of you!" Haku exclaimed. "You are truly a hero! Why would you care about such a small village, though?"

Naruto looked thoughtful as he continued to pick the herbs. "Because I know what it's like to be bullied and harassed, and I don't want anyone to suffer like that."

Haku nodded as she moved to another set of herbs. "That's incredible. Tell me, do you have a precious person who you would give your life for?"

Naruto looked over at her and said, "Well, there's the Hokage, and I've sworn to protect him, as part of my ninja duties, but he's a lot stronger than I am. There's Iruka-sensei, my Academy teacher; he's been watching out for me since I entered it. The Ichiraku Ramen Shop owner and his daughter, they've been feeding me since I got kicked out of the orphanage." He was about to say Hinata, but he paused as he thought about it.

Assuming he was finished, the girl smiled and said, "It's wonderful that you have so many people who are precious to you. I have only my father... well, he's not my real father, but my parents died when I was four, and he took me in. It's thanks to him that I've lived this long; I would give my life a thousand times over for him." At this point both of the baskets she brought were full, so she stood up and wiped her hands with a small towel she'd brought with her, took up the baskets, and bowed. "Thank you so much for helping me."

"You're welcome, Haku!" Naruto said. As Haku turned to leave, Naruto blurted out, "Will I be able to see you around the village?"

Haku turned back and smiled, saying "Maybe, if you have good eyes." As she turned and left, she said, "I should tell you right now, though: I'm a guy."

Naruto's head exploded (metaphorically, of course) as he digested this new bit of information. Haku had already long since left before he went "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" This shout sent every bird from there to the Leaf Village itself, it seemed, to flight in fear from the sudden sound.

Meanwhile, Haku contemplated their meeting, thinking 'He's just a genin, yet he's got such strong goals... it'll be difficult for me to fight him, even if I am holding back.' Remembering the state of the forest around where Naruto had been lying down, Haku muttered, "There's something not right, though. No genin could have made as much destruction as he seems to have done... and many of the trees look like they were shattered by claws and burned at the same time. Something's definitely not right..." The ninja's heart could not shake the fear creeping up around it, threatening to freeze it over and then shatter.

…

Sasuke and Saito found Naruto at the same time, and what they saw was unbelievable: Naruto was curled up in the center of a cleared part of the forest, muttering to himself, "Impossible... impossible... can't be..." repeatedly. Saito rapidly went through a series of hand gestures and, using a miniscule amount of water, whispered "Water style: Water Bullet jutsu" and a small bubble of water shot out of Saito's mouth.

It hit Naruto in the head and the cold water shocked him awake. He stood up, shouting, "It's impossible!" Breathing heavily, he looked around so rapidly that Saito vaguely considered the possibility of his head coming off, but he relaxed as he saw Saito and Sasuke. "Oh, it's you guys... when did you get here?"

"A minute ago," Saito responded. 'Odd, Naruto is never this out of it...' He then glanced around and took in the damage. "It's time to get to the bridge, Naruto. I packed a breakfast for you, in case you were hungry. Let's go; Kakashi's waiting there with Ino and Hinata." Turning, he began walking away.

"Naruto, what happened? I know I had to vent my anger, but it looks like you fought a war here," Sasuke asked.

"I don't know, Sasuke. I remember running out of the house, beating up on a tree, then waking up to the sight of a girl picking herbs..." He shuddered at this point. "Only... she wasn't a girl..." Naruto leaned against one of the few trees left standing as he got dizzy.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You sure have some weird dreams, Naruto... come on, Saito-sensei will yell at us if we don't catch up." Helping his friend up, Sasuke began making his way to the bridge.

…

"Zabuza, Master Jiraiya, we have a problem." Having dressed in ninja attire, Haku entered Zabuza's room. The two were sharing breakfast as the young ninja came in.

"A problem?" Zabuza asked. "Is Gato jumping the gun?"

"No, it's the blond ninja," Haku replied. "We can't fight him during the rematch."

"Naruto? Why do you say that?" Jiraiya asked, fearing the worst.

"When I went to pick herbs for Zabuza's medicine, I found him in the middle of a cleared area of the forest," Haku replied. "From the freshness of the damage it looks like it was done sometime yesterday, maybe even last night. There were burns and slash marks on many of them; others looked like they had been blown up from the inside out."

"I was afraid of this..." Jiraiya muttered. "Look, I'll do my best to keep Naruto out of the battle, but my options are limited." He began muttering to himself as he paced. "No one from his team can ever find out about this... the consequences could be disastrous for him. At least I could take him on as my apprentice, but he needs to be around kids his age. If word of this leaks out, especially to that one, he could be forced to be a hermit; the village would riot if they found out, clamoring for his death..."

Haku, for once, looked confused. "I don't get it, Master Jiraiya. Why is Naruto so strong?"

Jiraiya turned to Haku, his gaze fiercer than the young ninja had ever seen before. "I can't tell you why, but I will tell you this much: it's not Naruto... or, at least, not entirely him. I need to go... things just got serious." With that, he vanished out of the room.

"Uh, Zabuza? I..." Haku began.

Zabuza nodded and said, "Don't worry, you won't have to fight him. Master Jiraiya always comes up with a plan, and if the kid shows up, I'll fight him myself. I can tell you care about him already."

"Oh, no, Zabuza! I can't have you fight him and have him unleash that kind of power; it could defeat even the Mizukage!" Haku said.

"I'm the 'Silent Killer', remember? He'll be unable to fight the battle before he even knows what's happening. I won't kill him, since we're not supposed to be fighting to kill in this battle anyway, but a wild-card like him can't be left to fight," Zabuza said. "Now, please, help me with breakfast. I managed a couple of bites before my arm stopped moving."

AN: **I've been thinking a lot about the flow of the story, and I am beginning to feel like it's too fast, like I'm trying to resolve everything quickly. Is this the same feeling you all get? Please leave some feedback in regards to this, because I want this story to be the best that it can be.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Are you sure?" Kakashi said as he watched Hinata and Ino spar. Neither used chakra or weapons, just kicks and punches. Saito merely raised an eyebrow, and Kakashi sighed. "Right, I forgot, you don't joke around, except when someone else is the punchline. So heightened emotion is capable of bringing out the Nine-tail's chakra... this could be worse than a psychotic Uchiha."

"Let alone one old enough to come up with an elaborate scheme to take over the world..." Saito muttered. They both kept their voices down as Naruto and Sasuke could probably hear them. "Naruto doesn't remember accessing his power, so he could have reached for it by instinct. It's a good thing Master Jiraiya is nearby. I'll watch the kids and send a Shadow Clone to inform the women. Go inform Master Jiraiya, alright?"

"Sure." Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, as did Saito's Shadow Clone, while Saito continued to bark directions. "Faster, Naruto! The enemy will see your jutsu coming if you form the seals so slow! Sasuke, less chakra! Hinata, Ino, stop simply blocking and take advantage of your openings; you have more flexibility than you realize!"

…

Anko looked nearly panicked at the information, while Yuugao took it in stride. Of course, they'd had the good sense to tie up Shikamaru to a tree, surrounded by another kunai trap, while Shino merely promised not to listen in with his kikai bugs. Tsunami and Inari were in the kitchen, so they had the whole upper room to themselves. "And that's, more or less, the situation."

"If the kids find out, they'll reject him for sure!" Anko softly exclaimed, remembering that young ears always had a way of intercepting words. "He'll be a total outcast, and you can be sure that the townspeople will go batty when they find out!"

"Calm yourself, Anko," Yuugao said. "It's obvious that he cannot participate in this mission any longer; he presents a clear and present danger to our interests."

"Curse your 'interests'!" Anko replied. "Yes, lives are at stake, but we don't even know what happened. It only happened after dinner last night, and did not appear in any of our previous battles, so he does not, in my opinion, represent a 'clear and present danger'. He's a twelve-year-old kid, for crying out loud!"

"One with a terrible power capable of wiping out all of civilization as we know it," Yuugao replied, clearly irritated that Anko would even take Naruto's side of the issue. "I feel for the boy, but if he can't learn to control his emotions and, by extension, the Nine-tail's chakra, he'll have no choice but to resign from ninja duty and be assigned to civilian work. Besides, I'm in ANBU, and you're a special jonin, so I think I outrank you in this decision."

It was here that Saito spoke up. "Actually, ladies, you're both jonin-sensei, and I have the most experience, so for now we'll adopt a wait-and-see approach. Naruto seems to be normal right now, so I am letting him continue to train, at least. Remember that Master Jiraiya is on his way; we'll figure out something after we meet with him. Anko, you may go now; go spar with Shikamaru and/or Shino if you need to take a breather. Yuugao, stay."

Anko nodded and disappeared, leaving Yuugao to face Saito. "Alright, what's going on?"

"Why are you so antagonistic to Naruto all of a sudden?" Saito asked. "Don't tell me you harbor a secret hate for him too?"

"Never!" Yuugao objected. "I'm far too professional for such a thing. I am just looking out for the safety of the Ninja Corps and the village. Do you think that's a bad thing? Maybe being away from the village for so long has clouded your vision, even with those All-Seeing Eyes of yours. The safety of the village comes first!"

"Of course it does!" Saito shouted, dropping the low voice as his temper flared. "I just happen to believe that he won't unleash the power on anyone except his enemies. He has a strong will; you've experienced it yourself! Remember the vegetables?"

Yuugao winced as she remembered trying to get Naruto to eat vegetables. "I remember, but no one can control that beast! If it were possible, the Fourth would've found a way, and we wouldn't be in this position! He had no choice but to seal it inside an orphan for the sake of the village, forever damning him to a cursed life of misery and pain; why should we allow his suffering to continue, not to mention allowing such an obvious danger to continue to be present?!"

"So you do want him dead." Disgusted, Saito turned his back on her. "I thought as much... do you hate the Nine-tailed Fox for causing the death of the Fourth? I do remember how you would act whenever he showed up to class for a demonstration, whether it was chakra control or a history lesson. It was annoying, but you kept pining for him until that very day, refusing to grow up." Turning back, his All-Seeing Eyes blazing as they stared at her, he said, "Even now, you're caught between that and the reality of his never coming back to life. Right!?"

"Yes! If it wasn't for him, I'd have been able to talk the Hokage into at least having a date with me, maybe even asked him to marry me!" Yuugao shouted, clearly unable to keep her voice down as well. "At least I stayed and tended to my duties; you up and left just when you were becoming interesting, deciding to spend time with that disgusting pervert rather than with your own team!"

Saito walked up to her and glared holes into her eyes, shouting "If you hadn't wasted your life pining after the impossible, seeing the truth instead of what you wanted to see, I would have stayed! I might have even joined ANBU with you! In fact, I would give up my All-Seeing Eyes just to go back and shake some sense into you!" He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely.

After several seconds, they both backed away, breathing heavily. Yuugao had a shocked look on her face, but Saito's looked hurt. "I knew it... your soul doesn't lie." Taking a kunai out of Yuugao's pouch, he stabbed himself in the heart and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Yuugao bent over and picked up the kunai as tears began to fall down her face. "What have I done...?" she muttered to herself as she sank down to the ground, upset because of what had just happened.

…

"Sensei, what's wrong?" Naruto asked as Saito suddenly tensed up. He'd never seen Saito so tense before, even during the battle with Zabuza, so it distracted him from his lunch.

Saito glared back at him, causing the genin to unconsciously take a step back. "Nothing is wrong, Naruto. Get back to training." He then turned and walked over to where Tazuna was working.

Naruto blinked, clearly surprised at the sudden one-eighty in Saito's behavior, and turned to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke, what's wrong with sensei?"

"Does it look like I know?" Sasuke asked out of reflex, though without any animosity, as he watched Saito. "That was weird... he was his usual self, then for a split second he blanked out, and then he became upset."

Naruto frowned as he looked at Hinata and Ino, both of whom shrugged. He sighed and went back to his lunch.

…

The dinner that night was nearly unbearable. Both Saito and Yuugao looked completely miserable, and no one knew what to say, if anything. This only amplified the negative thoughts of Naruto, Sasuke, and Inari even more; Hinata felt like disappearing into her jacket completely if it meant escape; and Tazuna, Tsunami, Kakashi, Anko, and Ino looked on in confusion. As soon as dinner ended, everyone quickly disappeared from the dinner table. The kids went to bed, seeking solace in sleep, while the adults went about their usual work, with the exception of Saito and Yuugao. The former went outside to where Naruto had been the night before, while Yuugao spent her night sharpening her swords.

…

The following morning, at nautical dawn, Saito stood in front of Jiraiya as they examined the damage caused by Naruto's rampage. "Yeah, that was demonic chakra alright. I recognize the marks," Jiraiya muttered.

"Is there a way to keep it from leaking out should Naruto shift to a highly volatile emotional state again?" Saito asked.

Jiraiya could tell that Saito had been through a rough night with one of the women there, 'Yuugao, probably,' he thought, so he spoke softly as he replied, "Yeah. They're just temporary fixes, and the seal only works once per use because of the nature of demonic chakra, but these tags will do the trick." He pulled out a small stack of paper sheets and gave them to Saito, who pocketed them. "So, who's the lucky lady who managed to bring down my strongest spy?"

"With all due respect, Master Jiraiya, it's a personal issue that I don't want to discuss with anyone," Saito responded, his eyes fluctuating between grief and anger.

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "Alright, but you'll need to talk about it to someone, and soon. I don't need the All-Seeing Eye to see that whatever happened is eating you up, and I'm warning you that if you continue to let your emotions control you like this, you'll be useless in battle; even a lowly bandit could kill you right now."

"I know, Master Jiraiya... but I just need some more time," Saito responded. "I'll work things out."

"You always do, but it's not going to be easy this time around," Jiraiya said. "A woman's heart is not to be trifled with, and despite what you may have heard, I learned that early on because of the woman who I loved, the only one I ever considered marrying. The rumors of me spending most of my time in brothels are greatly exaggerated, though my spying activities probably are not."

Saito sighed. "I know... I can't leave now, not with a team to train."

"That's not what I meant, but whatever." Jiraiya disappeared, leaving Saito to his thoughts.

…

"Watch out!" Kurenai said as a bandit came at Sakura, but smiled as the girl twisted around the bandit and kicked him into a tree. He slumped down, clearly unconscious, and Sakura nodded as she joined up with her teammates.

Kiba and Chouji were having fun slapping around the bandits, who were really no challenge to them, bouncing them between each other and Akamaru, who had transformed into a beastly-looking Kiba. Sakura delivered a sickening kick into a man's neck, snapping his spinal cord and killing him instantly, while the last one was torn to shreds by Akamaru and collapsed in a bloody heap. Asuma picked up the remaining bandit and used smelling-salts to wake him up. He then pinned the man to a tree and held a kunai to his neck. "Alright, what are you doing here in Wave? Who ordered you to attack us?"

"I-I-I'm just a hired hand! I do what I'm told, and I get paid. I didn't want to fight ninja, but Gato said if I didn't he'd throw me overboard one of his ships, still tied to it, and let the ship's underside punish me!" The man's tears flowed as he quaked underneath Asuma's glare.

Unmoved, Asuma pressed the kunai just deep enough to draw blood. "Where is Gato's fortress?"

"Over there!" He pointed in a direction. "Please don't kill me! I'll find honest work, I swear!"

Asuma snorted and carved a gash into the man's cheek. "Let that remind you the next time you want to terrorize anyone by stealing, killing, or any other way." He dropped the man, who took off toward the border. He then wiped the blood off of his kunai and put it back in his holster. "Pathetic... I remember when bandits were fearless... not to mention stronger."

"Most of these men were probably desperate for work when Gato 'hired' them," Kurenai said. "Kids, dig two holes in the forest and put the bodies in them. No point in letting people know a battle took place here."

"Yes, sensei!" they said as they began to search near the side of the road where people would not discover two unnatural-looking mounds of dirt. They had learned the day before the horror of killing as another group of bandits who were not allied with Gato attacked them. Asuma killed the first one, which shocked the kids, and Kurenai explained to them the reality of what was happening as the man continued to wipe out all of the bandits who had attacked. One came up behind them in an attempt to snatch up Sakura, thinking her helpless, but found out too late as Sakura whipped around with a kunai and plunged it into his heart. Sakura spent a good portion of the aftermath puking her breakfast up, and Kurenai rubbed her back to soothe her as the men went about dumping the bodies in the woods, deep enough where they wouldn't be found.

"Sensei, why are we burying these guys?" Chouji asked as they went about digging in one spot.

"Because," Asuma said, "they probably didn't want to be bandits, but found themselves in such dire circumstances that it seemed to be the only way out. Besides, these guys had reason to attack us, instead of just attacking for the sake of getting our food and money. The rumors about Gato are likely true, as far as his ruthlessness is concerned."

The genin silently nodded, still mildly confused yet accepting their teachers' decision as just. Soon they were on their way; Sakura still fought the uneasiness that came with taking a life, as would be expected of a teenage girl, though the two boys seemed to be handling it better, at least on the outside. Kiba, despite his outer facade, had a kind heart like Chouji did, so the both of them felt a measure of sadness about the whole issue. Unlike Sakura, though, they had been taught that death was the only event for all of life that was sure to happen, and so they were better prepared for it.

For all parties, the week passed more or less the same way: the genin became stronger, the jonin taught, Jiraiya continued to spy on Gato through Zabuza and his own skills, and everyone else waited with bated breath for the upcoming showdown.

…

Saito stood outside the house on the final night, staring at the full moon and looking content, but inside turmoil raged. He still hadn't apologized to Yuugao, or even attempt to make up with her for that matter. He knew he couldn't keep avoiding her anymore, not with the mission finishing tomorrow 'one way or another,' he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to even approach her.

Anko, however, made the decision for him as she literally booted Yuugao out the door, shouting "Don't come back in until you two have settled things!" Muttering "Stupid adult-children..." she then closed the door and locked it.

Saito turned around and caught Yuugao, who was about to unceremoniously fall to the ground from the force of Anko's kick. As their eyes met, though, they immediately backed away from each other. For a few minutes, they stood there in an awkward silence, but Saito finally took the initiative and, after clearing his throat, said "So... uh, how's your training with Shikamaru and Shino going?"

"It's taking a nosedive. Shikamaru ignores me, content to watch the clouds, and Shino wanders off alone to catch bugs," Yuugao said, her tone clearly showing her misery.

"Yeah, I'm kind of having the same problem with Naruto and Sasuke. Neither of them will listen to me, preferring to spar on their own... they said I was driving them too hard, much harder than usual," Saito replied. He looked back at the moon and said, "The sky is really clear tonight, huh? I can see a lot more stars than usual."

Yuugao looked up with him and smiled. "Yeah, it's just too bright in the Leaf Village at night; you can't see more than the brightest of stars on even the best of nights." They both laid down and stared at the sky as Yuugao continued. "I would often try to find the brightest star in the sky and wish on it that I'd see you again."

"Same here..." Saito muttered. "No matter how far my missions took me, I was always thinking about when I'd see you again, and no matter how I felt when you did come to mind, one feeling always overrode it."

Yuugao looked over at him and asked, "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Because I thought you were too hung up on the Fourth to care about me outside of our missions," Saito responded. "It hurt that every time we went on a mission, you were really nice to me, but when we got back it was like your life was consumed with trying to catch the Fourth's eye."

"A year after you left, I got accepted into ANBU. Do you know why I took the position?" Yuugao asked. "It was because I wanted to get my mind off of you. In my quiet moments, you were the one person on my mind, not the Fourth, and I didn't want to accept the implications. I was too wrapped up in my obsession to accept how I really felt." Turning her whole body toward Saito, she turned his head to face hers and said with tears, "I treated you so bad, and I was too blind to see it. Please forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me for overstepping my boundaries several nights ago," Saito responded, himself quickly being moved to tears. "I should have never yelled at you and then kissed you. I don't want you to associate anger with love; that's not how it should work. In addition, you're my partner in this team, and I don't want any animosity to destroy the team like it's been threatening to."

Yuugao nodded in agreement, saying "I don't want that, either. We're responsible to bring all of our students up the best that we can, and we've been bad role-models so far, in both our ninja life and our civilian life."

Saito nodded back. "From now on, let's set the best example possible. We're professional ninjas, with years of proper training and experience in both aspects of our life, right? We can do this." Yuugao leaned over to kiss him, but Saito put a finger up to her mouth, saying "One rule is that there's none of that during a mission or training; we're not even married, let alone dating, so doing that would set a bad example. It's not that I don't want to, but we have to set a good moral example as well, and I believe only married couples should kiss."

Yuugao nodded, knowing that Saito had her best interests in mind as well, and grabbed his hand. "I agree. As they say, 'The highest moral values bring about the deepest trust.' You remember what the Fourth would often say during our class." She chuckled as Saito's face turned red.

"Of course! It wasn't like I slept through all of our classes!" Saito objected, mock-pouting as he stood up. Turning around, he helped Yuugao up and said, "Now, let's go give Anko a taste of her own medicine."

A few minutes later, Anko flew out the front door with two bootprints in her butt. She landed much like Yuugao would have earlier, and everyone laughed as she pounded on the door, trying to get in. Peace had been restored to the house, and not a moment too soon.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning greeted Team Seven and Ten with a dense fog. Tazuna, remembering the previous time they encountered fog, didn't say a word as they all set forth to the bridge; though he knew that fog was common to the area, he also knew that the man who'd come after him last time had created a fog to do his work. Team Ten led the group, while Team Seven brought up the rear. None of them realized, though, that they were already down a member. Naruto had taken to sleeping on the roof, and he continued to sleep even as the ninjas left, not even stirring as leaves crunched and twigs snapped.

At the bridge, they noticed bodies of many of the remaining workers lying in pools of their own blood. Gasping in shock, the genin surrounded the bridge builder and scanned the area for hints of the Silent Killer, busying themselves so that they didn't focus on the bodies around them. Saito activated his eyes, Kakashi pulled his headband up to reveal his Sharingan, Yuugao pulled out her sword, and Anko readied her snakes.

Suddenly a soft menacing laugh rang through the mist, and everyone turned to see Zabuza walk up behind them. Someone was walking beside him, and Yuugao recognized the mask. "That mask… That's the fake hunter from last time!"

"Right. This is my apprentice, Haku. He has a rare trait, you know, aside from his medical knowledge and precise control with throwing weapons to rescue me last week," Zabuza said as he pulled out his sword. "He has a bloodline limit to control ice, and his skill with it surpasses his other skills. Quite an impressive child, wouldn't you say?" He turned to Haku and whispered, "You know the plan... it looks like the blond isn't here, so incapacitate them. I know you know how." Addressing the jonin, he said "The odds are rather uneven, but it makes things all the more fun. You four, I'll take you on, and my apprentice will face your students. We'll see if a single person can defeat a whole troop." With that, he disappeared back into the mist, while Haku walked toward the genin.

Yuugao moved to intercept the fake-hunter, but Saito stopped her, saying "They'll be fine. I need your help with Zabuza... trust them." She nodded and turned to stand behind him, back-to-back, as they scanned the area. Kakashi whispered something under his breath as his hands moved quickly, while Anko sent out her serpents to ferret out Zabuza.

They were all caught off-guard anyway, however, as the two groups of jonin faced off against Zabuza's water clones. The fight initially went as it had before, with each Zabuza clone putting up a fight and being replaced as quickly as they fell. Kakashi was once again locked in a jutsu battle with a Zabuza clone, while Anko used her snake jutsu to take out each clone that came at her.

Haku, in the meantime, had gotten close to the genin when Sasuke and Shino approached. They were going to try and incapacitate the fake-hunter with Shino's kikai while Sasuke went into the fight with his physical combat. Immediately, the fists were flying as Haku and Sasuke fought, and Haku easily had the advantage in terms of both training and experience. Sasuke found himself falling back and decided to start using jutsu. Gaining some distance, he went through hand seals and shouted, "Fire style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!"

Multiple miniature fireballs shot forth from Sasuke's mouth, but Haku smiled underneath the mask and whispered, "Ice Style: Ice Storm jutsu." A wind kicked up from behind Haku, and the fog turned to icicles, raining through Sasuke's fireballs and nearly impaling the boy himself, were it not for a well-timed Replacement jutsu. He'd switched places with a piece of wood behind Haku and quickly began landing kicks on Haku's back. The fake hunter turned around and again began blocking the attacks, although Haku could feel the pain from the kicks. Noticing Shino's subtle hand movements, Haku backed away and began channeling his ice-element chakra around him, bringing the temperature down to near-freezing levels. Soon a black cloud appeared around Haku as kikai bugs could get no closer. Shino quickly recalled them, but some fell even as they retreated from the cold. "Nice try, but I'm familiar with the Aburame family's jutsu. It's one reason you decided to live in Fire country rather than affiliating with the Rock or Cloud villages; your bugs are just too sensitive to the cold. As for you, Raven... Tell me, do you have a precious one you're fighting for?" Keeping the cold aura to ward off Shino's bugs, the fake hunter began fighting with Sasuke again.

"I... I want to find my brother. He was falsely accused of murder, but evidence showed up to acquit him. He's an S-rank rogue ninja, so I need to get stronger to find him. That besides, I have Naruto... he knows my pain, and has gone through worse, so we're brothers in a sense." Sasuke could feel himself being backed up into a corner, but didn't let up as the fake hunter continued.

"I see." Haku suddenly ducked back as Hinata entered the fight, the veins around her eyes bulging and her hands practically glowing. "Girl, I have no quarrel with you. Stand aside."

"I can't do that. Naruto would be sad if I let Sasuke be killed by you!" Hinata said as she attacked Haku. Having been warned beforehand of the Hyuuga family by way of Jiraiya, Haku was forced to avoid the strikes rather than defend.

"Naruto is your precious one?" Haku asked. The hunter's heart could feel heat rising up from an unknown place, and it troubled Haku.

"Yes, and I bet he'd say the same thing!" Hinata responded, not letting up.

Haku moved around and whispered in her ear, saying "I wouldn't be so sure... he mentioned your leader, your Academy teacher, and the ramen people, but no girl's name escaped his lips."

"Wh-what?" Hinata said, pausing for a split second in shock. This, however, made her lose her advantage as she was sent flying.

"It's a pity... I would never have forgotten to mention someone like you, but I'm obviously not him. Don't worry... I'll put you out of your misery." He began going through hand seals.

…

"Ack!" Naruto said as he woke up. He slipped back into the room where his team was staying, but didn't see anyone, so in his mind he panicked as he changed into his normal clothes. "Man, Saito-sensei is going to kill me..." he muttered as he walked into the hallway but stopped as he heard voices.

"Get out of my house!" Tsunami yelled as two bandits approached her.

One looked at the other, and both laughed. The first said, "I've been waiting to get my hands on this piece of fine work... she'll last a few weeks, I'll bet!"

"I know, right? Look at how she's holding that knife; she's got some spirit in her, for sure!" the second one replied, licking his lips in anticipation. "Some handcuffs and an hour, and she'll be begging for more!"

"I'd rather die than become your little pawn!" Tsunami retorted as she put the knife to her chest.

"Hey, leave my mom alone!" Inari shouted, making the bandits turn around. His homemade bow held an arrow and was pointed to the second man. "I'll kill you if you touch her!"

The two men laughed and the first man started toward the kid, but before Inari could switch targets Naruto had jumped from the stairs and landed on the man, putting his foot in the man's head and sending him flying into the wall. The second one moved to get Naruto, but was shot in the chest by Inari, and he fell dead.

"Hah, that'll show you!" Naruto said in triumph, but then looked at Tsunami worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Having put the knife down, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, I am, thanks to both of you!" She rushed over and hugged Inari, who smiled at Naruto.

"Good job, Inari. I knew you'd find that courage in you!" Naruto said. "Now, I have to go rescue my teammates! Get someplace safe!" He dashed out the door and hurried quickly to the bridge, though he made sure not to make a sound.

…

Earlier, two hours before the teams had left, Zabuza and Jiraiya set up the bridge with bodies of some of Gato's men, dressed up to look like the townspeople in the dense fog. Now, as Gato left to take care of his business, leading many of his men, Jiraiya nodded to Asuma, who stood nearby with his team.

"Alright, we've got the signal. You know the plan," Asuma said.

"Yes, sensei!" the genin shouted.

Kurenai nodded. "Let's go, then." Going through several hand signs, she whispered "Paradise of Death jutsu." The gatekeepers, as they were closing the gate to the hideout, suddenly found themselves in a field of flowers and trees. As their senses led them to get lost in the jutsu, a 'tree' lashed out and cut them open. They were bleeding out of their torso with blood and innards spilling out as they died.

"Tunneling Fang!" Kiba shouted as he began spinning with the transformed Akamaru. The guards who had seen Asuma kill the gatekeepers with his trench knives were summarily torn to pieces by the whirlwind of claws and fangs.

Going up to the gate, Chouji smirked as his torso expanded in size. "Human Boulder jutsu!" He crashed into the doors, blowing them inward and knocking out bandits who had been standing in the entryway. Sakura ran in behind him, kunai whirling and slicing up any guards who'd dived out of the way of Chouji in time. Wave after wave of bandits came, but they were no match for the three 'kids' and the two jonin; it was wholesale bloodshed as they cleared the fortress.

…

Sasuke ran over to help Hinata, but found himself running into Naruto as ice mirrors appeared around the two of them. Haku smirked underneath the mask, stepping into the mirrors and appearing in all of them, saying "A hallmark of my family's legend: the Crystal Ice Mirror jutsu. Nothing can break these mirrors, and nothing can get out from inside this dome. You've both sealed your fate." However, Haku began to worry because before the hunter was not a blue-haired girl but a blond-haired boy, who the hunter would later admit had been a surprise.

"Hey, hunter, you leave my friends alone!" Naruto shouted.

Haku's head shook. "I cannot do that... I'm sorry, but all of you must die. It's what my precious one desires..." The hunter began jumping from mirror to mirror, lancing out with senbon needles mercilessly. Naruto and Sasuke did their best to dodge, but each landed hit slowed them down as they hit nerve points.

Naruto grunted as one got him in his backside. "It's coming from everywhere at once! We can't dodge them all! Hold still, for crying out loud!" His kunai bounced off of the mirrors, making him even more frustrated.

Sasuke's head began to fill with worry. 'Is this it? No! I can't let Itachi down!" Suddenly, Haku began to slow down and he saw Haku jump from mirror to mirror. "No, they're not everywhere at once! That's the trick of the mirrors!" He began following the hunter's movements and, launching his own kunai, hit the masked ninja in the foot.

"Ow!" Haku unintentionally let out as a mirror swallowed the hunter up. "You've just earned yourself a quick death." The hunter moved even faster, using chakra to propel from one mirror to the next.

"Sasuke, what happened to your eyes?" Naruto asked when he got a good look at them. "They're all red!"

Sasuke risked a look in a mirror and smiled. "Yes! My Sharingan is active!" Flashing through hand signs, he shouted "Fire Style: Grand Fireball jutsu!" The huge fireball exploded, but when the smoke cleared no damage had been done.

"Nice try, but you're actually the lesser threat. Naruto..." Haku whispered as dozens of senbon lanced out from the hands of the hunter. "I'm sorry..."

Naruto glanced up in horror as senbon began to rain down toward him, but something black covered his vision. After the clattering of wood finished, Naruto opened his eyes and found himself crawling out from under Sasuke, who had protected him from the needles with his own body. Naruto began crying as the ice mirrors melted and Haku backed away.

"Oh no..." Haku whispered as fear began to choke the windpipes in the hunter's throat.

"NOOOOO!" Naruto roared out, cradling his fallen friend and weeping tears of grief.

…

The fog had since begun to clear up by then. Kakashi's dogs and Anko's snakes had ferreted out the Silent Killer, who began fighting with all his might against the four jonin and holding his own. As it looked like the Leaf jonin were starting to gain the upper hand, though, they were all brought out of their battle by a shout of unmitigated grief unlike anything they had heard before. They all turned and gasped as they saw Naruto holding a Sasuke-shaped pincushion in his lap.

"Sasuke-!" Saito turned to Zabuza, shouting "Look what he's done! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Don't ask me! I didn't tell him to kill any of them!" Zabuza retorted.

Suddenly a wave of pure malice crashed into everyone on the bridge as Naruto laid Sasuke down and turned slowly to Haku, eyes glowing red. "You dared to even touch my Hinata... you killed my brother Sasuke... I WILL DESTROY YOU!" A red cloak of chakra appeared around Naruto, but before he moved a seal slammed into his stomach, making the red cloak disappear as quickly as it appeared. Saito quickly pulled his hand back, which had been burned slightly by the poisonous chakra, and used his other arm to catch the exhausted Naruto.

"Thank you, sir," Haku said, bowing to Saito and shocking everyone watching.

A new voice sounded from the finished end of the bridge. "Boys, it looks like the big bad wolf was little more than a puppy! Kill all the men, but incapacitate the women; they'll make great slaves, especially with some chakra handcuffs attached!" Gato shouted. The men shouted back and began running up toward the tired ninjas.

Saito and Yuugao nodded to each other, but before they moved Zabuza leaped into the crowd, swinging his sword like a madman. "Zabuza, get out of there! We'll take them all together!"

"It's my responsibility to destroy Gato!" Zabuza shouted back. "I don't mind backup, but leave the fat man to me!" Blood flew everywhere, drenching everyone as men continued to fall before Zabuza, though he ended up getting hit several times.

Saito and Yuugao rushed into the crowd, followed by Kakashi and Anko. Soon the bridge was soaked in blood, and Gato stood alone.

"You're all too tired to do anything to me now!" Gato shouted as he pulled out a bomb and lit it. Before he threw it, though, an arrow lanced out and hit him in the shoulder, making him drop it in pain. Looking over, he saw to his horror the residents of the village approaching with tools and other objects, determined to take their stand as well.

"You can't silence people forever," Kakashi calmly said. "Soon they will rise up, and men like you will fall to their doom."

"Says you! I'll return with more men, and I'll demolish EVERY-" at that point the bomb he was holding exploded, taking him with it as the ninja jumped back to avoid the explosion themselves.

The sound of the blast woke Naruto up, who having remembered what happened to Sasuke began crying over his brother again. Hinata ran over and hugged him, forgetting the conversation she'd had earlier with Haku as she comforted him.

"Sasuke's not dead, Naruto." Taking off the mask, Naruto looked up to see the person who he'd met in the forest. "Remember what I did to Zabuza? I did something similar to Sasuke as well, though I wanted to incapacitate you. Feel his wrist; he still has a heartbeat." As Naruto did so, the hunter gingerly plucked the senbon out of Sasuke, who stirred after a minute of being free of the needles.

"He's alive!" Naruto cried out as Ino and Shikamaru ran up. "Hinata, Sasuke's alive!" Crying out in joy, he hugged the girl even tighter. Hinata was too filled with joy to faint as she embraced Naruto, crying as well.

Haku smiled lightly as they hugged, then turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I apologize for putting you through that."

Sasuke immediately sat up, but had to steady himself as he felt dizzy. "Why are you apologizing to your enemy?"

"That's the thing, boy. She isn't," Jiraiya said as he appeared next to them, the 'bodies' of the workers disappearing as the Sage's genjutsu was released. "Both Zabuza and Haku work in my spy network, and have been vital in recovering a Leaf outpost from the war, where Gato had set up his headquarters." He turned to Zabuza and Saito. "Our other team has finished clearing out the fortress; the outpost is ours once again. Mission complete."

"Wait," Ino said, "was the real mission to capture the base, rather than protect the bridge builder?"

"They were both different and the same," Kurenai responded as Team Eight approached. "The point of the whole operation was to get rid of Gato, who obviously had evil intentions and could have potentially started a war. He was after Tazuna, who wanted to establish an overland trade route between Wave and Fire, and this was dangerous to his plans. Also, his choice to take over the outpost and use it as his own base more or less sealed his fate. Many of the bandits who were using it as a hideout were ignorant of its importance, but Gato was not."

Asuma nodded and continued, saying "He was searching the ruins for vital documents that belonged to Leaf but were left behind when the outpost was abandoned. If he had found them, his resources would have increased dramatically and he eventually would have had enough money to try and buy out several ninja villages and start a war to take over the Nations."

"Incredible..." Shikamaru muttered to himself. "That's why all of the rookie teams were sent. I wondered how all of us got a C-rank job at the same time, and why two teams were needed for one mission that seemed to not need more than one team."

"Exactly. I'll go report your success to the Hokage," Jiraiya said. "Take the rest of the day to relax, but be ready to leave in the morning. With the mission a success, you need to return to the village immediately. Naruto, we'll talk when you get back." With that, he disappeared.

"'We'll talk'?" Sasuke asked. "Naruto, how do you know the Toad Sage?"

Naruto shrugged. "I ran into him at the baths... or, rather, he ran into a rock and fell from a tree in front of me." Sakura and Ino blushed and turned away, while Hinata fainted immediately in his arms. Naruto panicked as he realized that Hinata had fainted again. "Oh no, not again! Come on, Hinata, wake up!" Everyone began to laugh, despite the gory scene around them, at Naruto as he tried to wake up the sleeping girl.

…

"Aw, come on, Naruto! Do you have to go?" Inari asked as he stared up at the blond ninja. The whole town had turned out to say good-by to the departing ninja teams.

"Yeah. Sorry, squirt, but I have a duty to my village, just as you do yours." Naruto ruffled his hair and grinned. "Be courageous and protect your village, hear me? I'll be expecting to hear great things about you next time I'm up here!"

"You bet, bro!" Inari said as he hugged Naruto, who hugged him back. "I'm going to miss you. Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"You bet, believe it!" Naruto responded. With that, the three ninja teams set out back to the Leaf Village, waving back to the cheering villagers until they were out of sight.

Inari turned back and asked Tazuna, "Hey, Grampa, what should we name the bridge once we finish it?"

"How about the Super Awesome Tazuna Bridge?" he said jokingly, earning a groan from Inari and a smack from Tsunami. "I'm just kidding... I'm going to call it the Great Naruto Bridge." They all nodded in agreement.

…

The teams were barely halfway to the border when Naruto said, "So, Kiba, what was your mission like? We got to fight a powerful jonin and his apprentice, and- oh, you should've seen Saito-sensei and Yuugao-sensei! They were plowing through the bandits like they were paper targets!"

"We didn't do all that much. While we waited for today, we did some training like usual. A couple of bandits came by here and there, but they were no match for our teamwork. Then, today, we got to rush the hideout. There were a bunch of bandits there, too, but we killed all of them," Kiba responded with pride. "Honestly, it was hard to kill them at first..."

"Yeah..." Naruto said, frowning. "It was hard when I thought Sasuke died..."

"Wait, what?!" Kiba exclaimed. "Sasuke 'died'? How'd that happen?!"

"I turned him into a pincushion," Haku said as she stepped out onto the path with Zabuza. "As Anko demonstrated with Ino, I hit his nerve centers just so precisely that he was rendered unconscious; to someone untrained in this art, he would've appeared to be dead. It was meant to, from Gato's perspective, demoralize the genin and distract the teachers, so as to provide an advantage for Zabuza."

Ino nodded in understanding. "So, are you Leaf ninja?"

"About that..." Zabuza answered, "I'm a rogue ninja from Mist, that much is true, but Haku has never actually been registered as a ninja for any country. We've been working as Master Jiraiya for a couple of years now, and to be honest this traveling isn't good for a growing woman, though it suits someone like me just fine."

"Wait..." Naruto said, "I thought you said you were a guy!"

Haku chuckled and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Honestly, I just wanted to get away, but your reaction was funny."

Naruto fell to his knees and repeatedly smashed his head into the dirt road, to everyone's amusement except Hinata's. She had just remembered what Haku had said during the battle; she knew it was just to throw her off, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was true. She was, as most expected, silent as they continued to walk back to Leaf Village, but Sakura and Ino noticed her silence and were determined to talk to her about it once they got back to the village.

…

"Excellent work, all of you!" the Hokage said as the teams stood before him. "Thanks to you, a vital post is under our control once again, and even more importantly the Land of Waves is safe again."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!" the genin responded, bowing respectfully.

"You're quite welcome. As this was an A-ranked mission, all of you will be compensated appropriately, and will have it in your records as an A-ranked mission. Despite the fact that Zabuza and Haku were not truly enemies, you still faced off against an enemy jonin and his apprentice and succeeded," the Hokage continued. "You have the rest of the day off to do as you wish."

The genin and jonin bowed and left the Hokage's office, after which only Zabuza and Haku remained standing before the Hokage. Zabuza spoke up, saying "Pardon me, Lord Hokage. Permission to speak?" The Hokage nodded, and Zabuza continued. "I don't really mind doing my current work as Master Jiraiya's spy, but Haku needs a home. She hasn't had one since she was a kid, and the road is harsh for someone who hasn't grown up. Do with me as you wish, but please take Haku in as a ninja of the Leaf."

The Hokage chuckled and said, "Who would have thought the 'Silent Killer' had such a soft spot? I certainly agree with you in that she does need a home, but what is a home without a parent to teach you, and you certainly fit that role well over the years; Jiraiya has attested to that. We'll have to deal with some red-tape as far as you're concerned, given your history with the Mist, but Haku's papers are ready; they only need be signed by her. You both can take the day off, as well; Jiraiya has already set up an apartment for you two, and when you find Naruto he can show you to them. We can iron out the details tomorrow, understood?"

They both bowed and responded, saying "Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Smiling, the Hokage waved them off, and they exited the office. "Jiraiya, I hope you know what you're doing. Just having Zabuza here will sour relationships between us and Mist, though given the civil war they're going through I doubt they'll do anything to stop it."

"Zabuza no longer cares about what happens to Mist," Jiraiya responded. "He knows that he can't win in any situation, other than guaranteeing that Leaf will move in to stop the war if it threatens to spill into any of the other nations. As a rogue ninja, Zabuza has already cut all of his ties to Mist, and when Orochimaru makes his move we'll need more professionals."

The Hokage nodded and turned to his work. "Go hang out with Naruto."

"... Yes, sensei." Jiraiya turned and leaped out of the window, as was his custom whenever he left the Hokage's office.


	13. Chapter 13

"Really?" Sakura asked. "She said that she'd talked to Naruto, and he didn't mention you as one of his 'precious people'?" She slammed her hands on the table. "That insensitive jerk! I want to smack him around so much!"

"No, Sakura, i-it's alright," Hinata said. "I think she j-just said that to c-catch me off-guard, which, sadly, ended up working."

Ino frowned. "You still fought really well, though; I couldn't move, I was so scared. You did well to defend Sasuke and Naruto's honor. Besides, remember when Naruto began to let loose? He said 'my Hinata'! That should settle the issue right there!"

Sakura gasped. "He said that!?" Her mood shifted quickly as she squealed with delight. "Awesome! If he said that, then he definitely likes you!" Her eyes began to sparkle as she grabbed Ino's hands. "Quickly! We have to start making plans! It'll be the biggest wedding the Leaf Village has ever seen! Everyone will attend!"

"Yeah!" Ino exclaimed, mirroring her friend's expression. "We'll hire the most skilled caterers in the whole Fire Country! Everything will be white! White wedding canopy- we'll have to make it an outside wedding- and white clothes! Pure white! The flowers, however, will be a rainbow of colors, and the bouquet will be of the finest flowers available!"

"The dress will have to be white as well, and we'll get Naruto to wear a white tuxedo! Oh, but the tie should be a different color so that it can stand out yet mesh well with the tuxedo- how about silver-blue? That'd be perfect! Oh, but we'll have to wear a light pink so that we don't clash with the bride-" (though in reality, regardless of if they knew it or not, they would not only clash but draw attention to themselves) "- and our dates will have to wear- oh, how could I forget? We'll need to get ourselves a date, but who? Naruto gets along with all the guys in our class now, and he'll probably pick Sasuke to be his best man, considering the battle at the bridge! Oh, but we swore not to let Sasuke get between us again-"

Hinata, finally fed up with their babbling, did a very un-Hinata thing and loudly cleared her throat. Immediately she blushed and started pushing her fingers together again, wondering what had just come over her as she said, "Uh, I d-don't th-think that will b-be happening any time soon. You s-see, I have to go with whoever m-my f-father chooses, and I doubt he'll take my feelings into account."

This, however, only spurred Ino and Sakura on. "Ah, it's just like 'Romeo and Juliet!' Two young lovers, kept apart by warring families-" (Hinata wanted to mention that Naruto didn't have a family, but she knew they weren't going to listen) "yet unstoppable by any human force in their love for each other! We simply must help them, no matter what it takes! How about a duel? Yes, that would be incredible! But who in Hinata's family would fight for Hinata? Not that jerk Neji, but who else do we know of? I guess he'd have to fight Lord Hiashi, but that would be suicide! Not only is the Gentle Fist powerful, but I heard Lord Hiashi fought in the last Great Shinobi War, and alongside the Fourth Hokage, no less!" On and on they continued until the two agreed that the showdown would have to wait. "In the meantime, we'll have to do everything we can to get Naruto to start dating Hinata, while at the same time keeping Neji or any other Hyuuga family member away from them." It was only after they'd said everything that they both took a sip of their drinks, only to find them warm and not as tasty as before. Hinata, in another un-Hinata moment, chuckled lightly to herself as she finished off her tea. They both noticed this and only concluded to have her be around Naruto more, attributing her 'outbursts' to Naruto's influence.

* * *

Naruto wasn't having a much better time. Shino had asked him why he said 'my Hinata', and that was a can of worms he wasn't prepared to have opened. "I keep telling you guys, I don't remember! Sasuke 'died', and I blacked out! How hard is that to believe!?"

"Naruto, don't play coy. You were positively fuming when you saw Haku knock Hinata away, and my 'death' just made it worse. How can you not remember what you said?" Sasuke asked.

"Trouble- er, that is, why are you guys annoying Naruto? He said he can't remember what he said, so leave it at that," Shikamaru said, cutting off Naruto's frustrated response. "Think back, Naruto, and think carefully. What exactly do you remember, starting from when you slipped into Haku's Crystal Ice Mirror jutsu?"

Naruto took a bite of his ramen, leaned his head back as he both savored the taste of the dish and thought hard, he began to say after swallowing, "Well, I remember Sasuke unlocking his Sharingan- congratulations, by the way, Sasuke."

"You've said that three times already, Naruto," Sasuke replied. "Thank you; now, continue."

Naruto nodded. "Oh right... anyway, Sasuke had landed a hit on Haku, but she- I still can't believe she lied to me about that twice!"

"Please, Naruto, do not get sidetracked," Shino said. "Strictly speaking, she lied only once. The second 'lie' was actually the truth."

Sighing, Naruto continued. "Yeah. She decided to hit me with all the needles she had left. Why, I doubt I'll ever know; Sasuke was the bigger threat. Anyway, Sasuke dived over me and took the hit for me. When I crawled out from under him, Haku's mirrors had melted already, but it was too late: Sasuke was, as far as I could tell, dead. I was upset before, but now the reality of the danger we were facing hit me right in the heart. As I cried over Sasuke, everything went dark... Wait, there was some sort of gate... something about it wasn't right, but I approached it anyway..." His head tilted forward into his palms as they began to rub his temples. "Gah, I can't remember anything else."

"Is he talking about the chakra gates? Is that where that burst of power he got was from?" Sasuke asked.

Lee, who had joined them, shook his head. "No, that's not how unlocking the chakra gates works. At least, that's what Gai-sensei says."

"So, then, what was it?" Sasuke asked again, but everyone was silent; only slurps of noodles and broth broke the silence.

Kiba finally had enough and said, "Anyway, back to the topic at hand: Naruto, how do you feel about Hinata?"

"How do I 'feel'?" Naruto echoed. "She's my friend, and one I would give my life for, like I would for all of you." His blank expression told them that he didn't understand what Kiba meant.

Kiba sighed and planted his head in the palm of his head. "Ah, whatever... you just don't get it."

"Get what?" Naruto asked, a little annoyed. "How am I supposed to feel about Hinata?"

"That's up to you, Naruto. No matter what anyone says, only you know your true feelings, though I suspect they're buried so deep within you that you don't even realize what they are," Shino said as he stood up. "Anyway, I'm gone. I need to go meditate. Have a good day, everyone."

One by one, the others left and only Naruto and Sasuke remained. Sasuke played with his food for a moment before he looked up and said, "So, what do you think of Haku?"

"Haku? What should I think about her? She's tough, for sure... and unique. I've never seen anyone with Ice chakra," Naruto responded.

Sasuke shook his head. "That's true, but I think Ice is just a mixture of Water and Wind, just like the First Hokage's Wood jutsu is just Earth and Water. I mean her, though; you know what she's like outside of her role as Zabuza's apprentice."

"She seems nice enough, but I wouldn't trust her too much. She's lied to me already; what's to stop her from lying to anyone else?" Naruto replied with a small amount of bitterness.

"Naruto, she had to keep up a facade, so she had no choice but to lie to you," Sasuke retorted. "I bet if you hang out with her more, you won't get any more lies."

"How do you know?" Naruto asked, looking over at him. "Your first experience with her is becoming her needle-tomato... or whatever those things that people use to keep their sewing needles in."

"Yeah, I guess..." Sasuke replied glumly.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Sasuke? You don't really seem like yourself today."

Sasuke, for the first time since Naruto had known him, blushed and shook his head, saying "N-no, nothing's wrong. Why would you ask that?"

"One: you stuttered; only Hinata does that. Two, you're blushing; that's something girls in general do, but again I usually only ever see Hinata do that," Naruto said.

Sasuke sighed and muttered, "Gee, I wonder why..." and then said in his normal voice, "I'm not like Hinata. I don't stutter, I don't avert my eyes, and I don't blush madly or faint whenever I see or think about the one I like-"

"You like Haku!?" Naruto exclaimed. Suddenly they felt a murderous aura behind them, and as Naruto and Sasuke turned around, they were greeted with a death-glare from one Zabuza and a blushing Haku who was wishing she'd remembered her hunter mask. Naruto leaned over and whispered, "Uh, Sasuke... you might want to run out the back door." Sasuke nodded once, then leaped over the counter and dashed out the back, to the surprise of the Ichiraku chefs. Zabuza's hand itched to take out his sword, which had been confiscated, as he walked out the front to chase down the raven-haired boy. Haku turned to leave, but Naruto called out, "Hey, Haku! Want to join me for a bowl of ramen? It's the best in the whole world, believe it!"

"I appreciate the praise, Naruto," Teuchi said as he looked back from his cooking pot, "but that doesn't mean you're getting out of paying today." His smile, of course, meant that he was joking with Naruto.

"I know, old man, I know!" Naruto said, smiling back in the same way before turning back to the girl. "Come on, Haku!"

Haku looked outside once, then nodded and sat down on the opposite side of Naruto that Sasuke had been sitting in. "I'll have whatever he's having," she said, pointing at Naruto, and the chef nodded as he began to work his magic with the seasonings.

"So, Haku, what did the old man Hokage say?" Naruto asked, forgetting his manners as he often did when feasting on ramen.

"We're allowed to stay," Haku said. "He's registering me as a genin, but Father is going to have to wait awhile until he can do any ninja duties again."

"Oh, that's too bad- er, I mean about Zabuza, not about you becoming a ninja! That's awesome!" Naruto blurted out. "So you were serious about Zabuza being like a father to you?"

"Yes, Naruto, I was. I was really young when my parents died, and I would've died if Father hadn't taken me in," Haku replied. "He said that, originally, he wanted to use me as a tool to help in his bid to regain control of Mist for the people, from the current Mizukage. But, he said, he eventually started to really care about me like a daughter. It was confusing at first, but when Master Jiraiya offered him the job as a spy, he noted that we looked like a family, and Father agreed."

"How did it feel to have a father who cared about you?" Naruto asked.

Haku smiled as she thought back. "It felt like... everything was finally going to be alright. We'd been traveling a lot since he took me in, and to know how he felt for sure..." A tear formed in her eye as she thought about it.

Naruto smiled, though it held a sorrow as he tried to imagine the feeling but couldn't. "I'm glad for you, Haku... You know, you've lied to me about several things, but I know I can trust you about that, at least. I want to be friends, but please don't lie to me anymore."

Haku looked over at him and hugged him. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I had to keep what my mission was a secret at the time, to keep up the appearance of being an enemy disguised as a civilian so you wouldn't try to attack me in the forest. I didn't even want to fight you on the bridge, to be honest, and that's why I was trying to take you out first."

"I was wondering about that... why?" Naruto asked.

Haku looked around furtively, unsure of whether she should say anything there, but she said, "Two reasons. One, I really enjoyed our chat in the forest and didn't want to have to choose between my mission and my heart. Two, I saw the damage you could do in your rage, and I knew that if I hurt any of your friends you'd have gone off on me, as you almost did."

"I don't remember that," Naruto said. "What happened?"

"Well, as you said what you said, you began to be enveloped by a red-tinted chakra that seemed to take a vague shape, though I couldn't discern what it was because your teacher came up and slapped a piece of paper on you. The cloak disappeared and you slumped to the ground," Haku explained.

"'Red chakra'?" Naruto asked. "That sounds vaguely familiar... anyway, go on. What sort of rage did you see before?"

Haku looked at him, puzzled. "Don't you remember how the forest looked when you woke up? All of those trees around you that were on the ground were standing the day before, and the day after they were as you found them."

"I did that?" Naruto asked, his mouth a gaping hole. "But that's impossible! I don't remember that happening, and I don't even think I have enough power to level even one tree on my own without the help of an ax, a saw, or a powerful jutsu."

"I know," Haku said, nodding. "But I once heard an old saying: 'Once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains- however improbable- must be the truth.' I really do think you destroyed all of those trees, and that rage is the second reason why I wanted to avoid fighting you. Honestly, I had no idea that Sasuke" here she blushed lightly "would have jumped in the way to save you. He seems to have a mission of his own that he is dedicated to, but I should have known when, in the same breath, he said you were like a brother to him." She sipped some tea and looked back at him. "Which reminds me... is Hinata one of your 'precious ones'?"

"Hinata?" Naruto echoed. "Well, she is my teammate, so I'd die for her in a heartbeat-"

"I didn't ask that, Naruto. I asked if she was precious to you, like the Hokage or the Ichiraku family," Haku said as her eyes narrowed.

Naruto began to sweat and averted his eyes, saying "I... well, she's been kinder to me than any other kid my age, and she seems to enjoy being around me, though it took me awhile to get her to stop fainting... and I think I enjoy it, too." Looking up as he thought, he said "We don't get much time to hang out, just the two of us, and it's usually for her to help me with my chakra control or me to help her develop her Gentle Fist style. Now that I think about it, I do enjoy those times as much as spending time with the old man Hokage or eating ramen here."

Haku sighed. "Look, I don't know much about guys and girls at my age interacting, but I can tell you that a girl wants to hear more than just 'I like training together'. I'll bet she enjoys just being with you, no matter what you're doing. Give it a shot, okay? Invite her to dinner somewhere, not necessarily here unless you can't afford anything else... honestly, ramen might be fine for you, and you don't have to change that, but a girl likes to be treated to nice things sometimes... and just spend time talking. Promise?"

"That sounds like a great idea! Thanks for the idea, Haku!" Naruto said as he turned to the door to run out, but he paused and turned back. "By the way, why did you and Zabuza come here?"

"To find you," Haku said, smiling sweetly. "You've got new neighbors."

Naruto's eyes widened as he imagined having Zabuza as a neighbor. "I'm so~ in trouble..."

Haku laughed and shook her head. "You'll be fine, Naruto. Just show me where the complex is, and I'll handle everything else. In the meantime, let's finish lunch."

Naruto looked at his half-eaten bowl of ramen and jumped back into his chair. "Of course! Can't leave a good bowl of ramen uneaten!"

* * *

"Come back here so I can neuter you!" Zabuza shouted as he chased Sasuke down the street. Civilians looked on in a mix of humor and curiosity for two reasons: one, they had never seen the ninja chasing Sasuke before; and two, they had never seen Sasuke be chased by anyone other than his fanclub.

"What makes you think I'm going to stop because you say something like that?" Sasuke shouted back. He had been running all over the village for the past half an hour, and if he was honest with himself ('which reminds me,' he thought, 'I need to work on that too...') he would admit that the long journey had taken a lot out of him and all he wanted to do right now was sleep. That was made impossible, he now realized, when Naruto blurted out that he liked Haku and had inadvertently forced him to dash out of the diner and have an elite jonin from Mist, the Silent Killer no less, hot on his heels. In desperation he ducked into someone's yard, but even that didn't stop Zabuza, but Sasuke could feel something vaguely familiar about the place as he ducked between plants and servants and other things. Finally, however, as he looked back to see if Zabuza was chasing him, he ran into someone and fell backward onto his butt.

Before the raven-haired ninja stood Hyuuga Hiashi, looking down in surprise, curiosity, and mild annoyance. He picked up the boy by the back of his collar and asked, "Why are you disturbing the peace of my home by rampaging through my lawn?"

Out of breath, Sasuke managed to say, "... crazy... ninja... neuter me..."

Hiashi's left eyebrow shot up as he stared at Sasuke, then turned his attention to Zabuza, who'd had the decency to come to a dead halt when the Hyuuga leader came outside. "Why would you wish to neuter this boy" he said, then shifted his gaze for a moment to Sasuke and said, "as much as he may deserve it for destroying my home?"

Zabuza cleared his throat and said, "He has expressed interest in my daughter, but as she is my only living family I am very protective of her."

Hiashi smirked and said, "I know the feeling; may the Sage help anyone who wants either of my daughters' hand in marriage."

"I do not really wish to harm him, you understand," Zabuza said. "I only want to... educate him in how courting works among most people. Namely, it is not allowed until both are at least eighteen years of age."

"So early?" Hiashi replied. "I should not think to give up either of my daughters, especially Hinata, under normal circumstances, until both she and the boy who I have selected are both in their mid-twenties."

"Yes, but considering the dangers that ninja live through, I thought it would be better to lower it a bit," Zabuza replied. Sasuke, for his part, could not believe that a former rogue from Mist and the leader of the now-most prestigious family in the Leaf Village were chatting so easily.

"Ah, but if their love is true then they'll both know to keep themselves alive until the proper time," Hiashi replied.

Zabuza nodded and said, "That's true, but you know as well as I that not all missions go as planned. There's always some complication that will force either innovation or sacrifice."

Hiashi nodded back. "True enough, but let's deal with this one problem first." Dropping Sasuke, he said "I know you get a lot of slack from the civilian council, so you don't get in trouble often, but now you're in MY realm. Trespassing is grounds for immediate imprisonment, but considering the circumstances I suppose I'd do many things just to shake a pursuer. As punishment, you'll be assisting my groundskeepers in repairing the damage you did during your little romp, and you'll keep this in mind if you ever want to make it to your eighteenth birthday: You'll have to prove yourself in a father's eyes that you can provide for your family, that you love your family, and that nothing short of the fate of the whole village should cause you to sacrifice yourself or your family. Understood?"

Seeing no way out, Sasuke stood up and said, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Get to work." He motioned for one of the branch family members to escort Sasuke to the tool shed, then turned to Zabuza. "I don't think we've met..."

"Momochi Zabuza, formerly of the Hidden Mist," Zabuza replied.

"A rogue ninja let loose to run around the Leaf Village?" Hiashi asked, somewhat surprised.

"The Hokage is instating me as a Leaf Ninja, though I'll likely have to go through a probationary period," Zabuza replied. "And you are..."

"Hyuuga Hiashi, leader of the Hyuuga Clan," Hiashi replied, not without a little superiority in his tone.

Zabuza smiled, though you couldn't notice with the mask. "Ah, the Hyuuga clan. The Byakugan is surely to be feared among all the nations. Your eldest is truly a testament to your clan's strength and dignity."

At this, Hiashi raised his eyebrow again. "Hinata? 'Strength and dignity'?"

"Definitely," Zabuza responded. "She went toe-to-toe with my daughter, who I have apprenticed for the past ten years and is easily ranked as a chunin among your recognition of ranks."

"Indeed..." Zabuza could tell that this came as surprising news to Hiashi from his tone and mild look of disbelief.

"My apprentice could not even block the strikes, let alone counter them, and this is saying a lot," Zabuza continued. "Not even Sasuke could keep up with her, were it not for the Sharingan."

"So the boy has finally unlocked that accursed eye," Hiashi said, making a mental note to bring it up with the Hokage later on. "Would you like to join me for tea?"

"As much as I want to accept, Lord Hiashi," Zabuza responded, "I cannot accept right now. I just arrived, and have not been able to even take a shower yet."

Hiashi nodded, saying "Another time, then." Without another word, he turned and re-entered his house. Without a word of his own, Zabuza turned and left to catch up with Haku and Naruto, keeping his opinions of the stiff leader to himself.

* * *

Inside, Hiashi immediately went to his oldest daughter's room. Not more than half an hour ago, Hinata had returned and was likely resting, but he wanted to talk to her and, though normally he would summon her to the meeting room, he wanted a private moment and it seemed best to do it in her room.

Hinata just had finished showering and changing into fresh clothes when a knock came to her door. "Who is it?" she asked as she put her dirty laundry in a laundry basket.

"It's me," Hiashi said through the door. "May I please come in?"

"Oh, F-father!" Hinata said as she began to quicken her pace. Much of her traveling pack was still out and not yet organized. "Uh, I'm just p-putting my s-stuff away. G-give me a minute, p-please?"

Hiashi sighed to himself. 'As if I don't need solid proof that I'm the cause of her stutter...' "I'll wait."

A minute later, Hinata opened the door. "F-father, please, come in." She opened it and her room looked as clean as it had before she came back. "C-can I help you, Father?"

"Well, I want to talk to you about something, but I didn't think the meeting room would be a good place for it," Hiashi said as he closed the door and sat down in a spare chair that he'd let Hinata have for the few times she had a friend over.

Hinata stood at attention in front of him, as she always would. "W-what do you wish to s-speak with me about, Father?"

"For one thing, your stutter, and please sit down." Hiashi said, and Hinata immediately complied. "Here, we're just a father and daughter speaking to each other, so please tell me the truth; I promise I won't become upset. Why do you stutter?"

"W-well, uh..." Hinata replied as she thought about it. "I... uh, this is h-how I always t-talk... W-why d-do you ask?"

"Because I think that you don't realize that you're only doing it around me lately," Hiashi replied, "which makes me assume that there's a reason to do with me that you stutter around me. Tell me, Hinata: Are you afraid of me?"

A part of Hinata wanted to scream out the truth in frustration, but she held it back and said, "No, I'm n-n-not..."

"Are you telling the truth?" Hiashi asked. "I can use my Byakugan to see if you are, you know, so you should just tell the whole truth. Please, I want to make things right."

This time Hinata had to bite her lower lip to keep the rage down. Her eyes turned away as she mumbled, "No, it's true..."

"Hinata, do you hate me that much, that you would lie? You're like your mother; neither of you can lie well. You both bite your lips when you do, although she only did it once," Hiashi replied.

"Leave Mother out of this!" Hinata shouted, standing up. "Yes, I am afraid of you! I could never hate you, but I hate that you seem to hate me as much as you do! You drive me too hard, you see my sister as being better than me, you always pit me against Neji, who I'll admit is a genius, but that doesn't matter; do you even love me at all!?" Only then did she realize what she said and broke down in tears.

Hiashi quickly got up and hugged Hinata tightly, feeling hot tears roll down his face. "Yes, Hinata, I do love you; I love you more than life itself. Please don't think that I hate you. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard. I'm sorry I compared you to your siblings. I'm sorry for abusing you and hurting you." The two of them cried into each other's shoulders for what seemed like hours, until they could not cry anymore. Hiashi looked at Hinata and smiled softly, saying "I promise, I'll treat you more lovingly, as you deserve. No matter what my motives were, there's only one now: to encourage you to be the best Hyuuga Hinata you can be, and I don't doubt that you'll shoot past the stars." As Hinata smiled brightly, he added, "Thank you for telling me the truth. I needed this as much as you did... I've been living a lie for so long that I thought it to be the truth."

"What lie?" Hinata asked, wiping away her tears.

"When your mother died, I thought I could raise you and Hanabi alone, but I missed your mother so much, and you resemble her greatly, that I grew cold and distant for fear of the wound staying open and not healing," Hiashi answered, "but the fact is that the wound is still open, and it's infected you in the process."

"I'm sorry, Father," Hinata said. "I miss Mother too, but I never stopped to think that you missed her too."

"You shouldn't have. You were only five when it happened," Hiashi said. He then picked Hinata up and, after sitting down in his chair, sat Hinata down on his legs and held her in his arms. "I remember the picnics we would always have on Sunday. We'd go down to the park and have lunch. You'd always chase the butterflies." They both chuckled at this. "Some of the other kids would come by and we'd watch as you played with them. I laughed- can you believe it? I laughed!- and she would snuggle up to me as we watched you."

"I can kind of remember that..." Hinata replied. "Do you think that we can go this weekend? You, me, and Hanabi? I want Neji to come too, but I don't think he'd want to."

"Definitely," Hiashi replied, then kissed her forehead and said, "We'll pack a big lunch. I'll even help make them if you'd like." He knew she liked to pack lunches for them, although usually it was the kitchen servants who did that kind of work.

"I'd love that!" Hinata replied. "Which reminds me... Dad- can I just call you Dad?"

"Of course. I've missed that," Hiashi replied.

"Thank you, Dad. Anyway, I've been wanting for a long time for the branch family to be free of their burden," Hinata replied. "I know there are a lot of reasons why the rules are in place, but surely all of them have some gifting that they can use outside of household chores. The worst thing is that Caged Bird seal. I know what it does, and I know what it can do if a cruel person uses it. It's horrible, Dad!"

"I know, hun... I've been trying to get a better seal made for all of the family to use, one that simply destroys our eyes when we die, but unfortunately the elders have insisted on keeping to tradition," Hiashi said, muttering the last part in disgust. "I'm as frustrated as you are, though I suppose neither of us really knows how bad it is for them. I'll see about at least letting them take civilian jobs, and we'll try to work our way from there."

Hinata nodded and curled up in her father's lap. They spent a good portion of time just sitting there, enjoying each other's company for once in a very long time.

* * *

AN: That's it for Act One! I hope you enjoyed it. Act Two is now out; please continue to enjoy this story there!


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